Udon - what is it? Japanese motifs in your kitchen

Japanese cuisine is so diverse and rich in strange combinations of tastes that not all of us can become its adherents. But still there are in it and more familiar to us dishes that you can not only fearlessly order in any Japanese restaurant, but also try to cook at home. It is to such you can include udon. What it is?

In the best traditions

Many believe that the main food of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun is rice, seafood and, of course, a variety of sauces. But actually it is not. This cuisine is very, very diverse and boasts not just an abundance of different dishes that Japanese chefs come up with, but also their special approach to the products from which they will be prepared. And then we have something to learn from them.

Let's start with a simple comparison. That's how much you know the kinds of pasta that stand on the shelves of our supermarkets? Surely a lot, but they are all made according to the general principle and often differ only in appearance. Their bulk is prepared from wheat flour with or without eggs. But in Japan cooking noodles is a whole tradition. And one of the examples is the famous udon. What is it, now we will understand together.

A little bit about Japanese noodles

Unlike us, the Japanese contrived to cook noodles not only from wheat flour. In business there is also rice, and buckwheat, and even bean. Each kind is prepared according to an individual recipe and served in combination with a certain set of products and sauces. So, somen, for example, it is customary to eat chilled and with ice, but yakisoba is served roasted with vegetables, meat and other products. But today we are talking about udon noodles. What is it, know a few. Well, fill this gap.

What is udon

This is exactly the kind of noodles that are made from wheat flour, water and salt. It is somewhat similar to ours, but it turns out to be more elastic and soft. Noodles are thick enough - up to 4 mm in diameter, and after cooking it looks volume. Its color can vary from white to grayish. This sort of noodles can be found in our supermarkets, because everyone can try to prepare a dish in Japanese manners at home. To submit to the table udon, a recipe of some kind is not needed. The Japanese serve such noodles with a wide variety of vegetables, the main thing is that it should be tasty and satisfying. Several options we will certainly tell you.

How to cook and serve properly

Preparing such noodles is very simple: just dip it into boiling water and boil 4-5 minutes after the water boils. Now you need to drain the water and rinse the noodles in cool water. Udon is ready, now you can use it for further cooking. If you cook noodles in advance, add a little vegetable oil, udon will not stick together and such a piece can be stored longer. Served noodles in a variety of variations: cold or hot, in broths in the manner of soups or with vegetables, seafood or meat. In general, if you are preparing udon, you can adapt the recipe to your taste, it is quite acceptable for such a dish. And now we will stop on a few simple recipes that will help you with this.

Udon with teriyaki sauce and vegetables

Udon noodles (a recipe with vegetables is perfect for a period of fasting or for people who adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle) - a hearty and very tasty dish. You can change the recipe to your liking or add something new. Sauces for a dish in Japanese can be purchased in almost any supermarket in the department of spices.

For one package of noodles, you will need 150 g of vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, a leek, a Chinese cabbage and a few cloves of garlic. Also buy Teriyaki and Tonkatsu sauces , vegetable oil, a little fried sesame and fresh cherry tomatoes for decoration.

How to cook

Udon with vegetables can be cooked in 15 minutes.

• Pre-cook the noodles and rinse.
• Onion cut into rings, zucchini - brusochkami, carrots - straws, cabbage - arbitrary, but not large. Grind the garlic.
• In a heated frying pan pour a little oil on it, lightly fry the carrots, then add onions and zucchini. Stir constantly.
• After a minute, send garlic and cabbage to the vegetables, salt.
• After another minute add to the vegetables for 5 tbsp. L. Tonkatsu and teriyaki and boiled udon. Stamp another minute and the dish is ready.

Serve the food in deep plates, sprinkle with sesame seeds and decorate with quarters cherry tomatoes.

Udon with chicken

Want to give a family dinner Japanese notes - prepare udon with chicken. The recipe does not take much time and effort, but it will turn out very tasty and original.

For one package of udona, you will need 600 g of chicken fillet. Also, take 150 g of vegetables: onions, carrots, sweet Bulgarian pepper. Add a couple of stalks of celery, 3-4 cloves of garlic, grated ginger - 1 tsp, soy sauce and black pepper. A little vegetable oil.

How to cook

• Pre-boiled and washed udon noodles. The recipe is a bit like the first option. The base is easily prepared.
• Chicken fillet cut into large pieces and fry in butter until half cooked.
• Crumble the celery stems, cut the peppers into cubes, dice onion and carrot with straws. Grind the garlic.
• On a hot oil fry onions with carrots, and then add to them all the other vegetables. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in vegetables 150 ml of water and 5 tbsp. L soy sauce. Stew vegetables 1-2 minutes, and then add to them chicken fillet and boiled udon, salt and pepper. Hold the dish on fire for another 5 minutes, so that the fillet has time to prepare completely.

The dish is ready, and it can be served on the table.

As you can see, Japanese cuisine is not as intricate as it might seem at first glance. There are many simple but tasty dishes in it. Now you know a little more about the traditional dish of Asian countries, the name of which is udon. What it is, how it is cooked and served, we examined in detail. You can safely experiment at home.

Enjoy your meal!