Make Delicious Niku Udon Noodle (Japanese Beef Udon) : Easy Recipe for Rich and Thick Soup!

Konnichiwa! Welcome to Japanese Cooking Ichie. Today, I will show you how to make Japanese Niku Udon. Niku Udon is a Japanese dish consisting of udon noodles topped with beef simmered in a slightly sweet sauce. The sweet sauce pairs excellently with the soup broth, allowing you to enjoy an udon that's a bit different from usual. It's simple and very delicious, so please give it a try. Let's get started. This recipe is for one serving. Please, check the description for the list of ingredients. Now, let's get ready to cook. First, prepare 5 grams of ginger. Since most of the aroma is between the skin and flesh, I will use the ginger with the skin on this time. Julienne the ginger. If you want to bring out the aroma of the ginger while keeping the spiciness in check, julienning is recommended. Next, prepare 120 grams of thinly sliced beef with fat. In Japan, pre-sliced meat is sold, so you can use it as is. However, if you purchased a block of beef, please cut it into approximately bite-sized pieces. Once you have finished cutting, the preparation is complete. Let's move on to the cooking. Let's start by making the beef simmer. Put the julienned ginger and beef you prepared earlier into a pot. Now let's add the seasonings. 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 tablespoon of cooking sake, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 2 teaspoons of sugar. Making the beef slightly sweet enhances the contrast with the saltiness of the broth, making it more delicious. To add umami and richness, add 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce. Finally, if you have it ready, prepare 10 grams of beef fat. Adding beef fat will enhance the richness and flavor of the meat. After adding the seasonings, turn on the heat to medium and simmer the beef. I didn't use it this time, but adding sliced onion would also be delicious. After simmering for a few minutes and the red parts of the beef have disappeared, fan it with your hand and check the aroma. Once you confirm the alcohol has evaporated completely, turn off the heat. Let the simmered beef sit for a while to let the sauce's flavor soak in. Meanwhile, let's make the udon soup. Set a large frying pan on the stove and add the ingredients for the udon soup. 350 milliliters of water, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 1 tablespoon of cooking sake, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, 2 grams of dashi powder. After adding everything, turn on the heat and bring it to a boil. By the way, if using dashi instead of water, you can skip the dashi powder. When the soup boils, add one portion of udon noodles and cook them, loosening with chopsticks. Follow the cooking time specified on the package of your udon noodles. Typically, udon is boiled in water, but boiling it in dashi doesn't change the flavor. I often use this method to avoid increasing washing up. Once you confirm that the udon noodles are well cooked by lifting them slightly with chopsticks, turn off the heat and start plating. For this serving, I'll use this cute Japanese bowl. First, pour the udon and soup into the bowl. Then add the simmered beef with infused flavors on top. After placing the beef on top, pour all the sweet broth over everything to complete the dish. Optionally, I recommend adding a couple of pinches of chopped green onions as a topping. Also, adding chili pepper is recommended to create a contrast in flavors. And it's done! The savory aroma of the dashi combined with the ginger is incredibly appetizing. Now, let's eat! First, mix the beef and broth well with the soup before eating. The sweet broth from the beef is full of umami and pairs perfectly with the udon broth, making it very delicious. This is recommended for anyone who wants to add an extra touch to ordinary udon and enjoy a higher-level dish. Please give it a try. I hope you are enjoying today's video. If you enjoyed the recipe, please let me know. If you liked this video, please subscribe to the channel and give it a thumbs up. We also have social media like Instagram, so please check them out in the description. Thank you for watching and see you in the next video! Arigato!