Beef Udon / Niku-Udon

Beef Udon, or Niku (which literally translates to meat) Udon to me, is a hot bowl of comfort. Udon refers to the thick, chewy, flour-based noodle. The udon noodles are usually served in a delicious sweet and savory broth. Super easy and quick to make, you’ll never want to pay $15+ for a bowl at a restaurant again.

Niku Udon

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Beef and Other Toppings

• 1 tbsp Neutral Oil
• ½ lbs Thinly Sliced Beef (I use shaved beef flank from Trader Joe's)
• ½ tsp Grated Ginger (I use the kind that comes in a tube)
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• ½ tbsp Mirin
• 2 Eggs (Soft boiled)
• 1 tbsp Dried Wakame (optional)
• 1 Green Onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Udon and Broth

• 2 cups Dashi
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Sake
• Pinch of salt (depending on taste preference)
• 2 packs Udon (frozen or dry)

Method

 

Prepare the toppings

1. Soak the wakame (dried seaweed) in a small bowl with lukewarm water to let it bloom
   
2. Thinly slice the green onions, then set aside
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil
   
4. Use a slotted spoon to gently lower 2 eggs into the boiling water
   
5. Boil eggs for 6.5-7 minutes, adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle boil
6. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill eggs to stop cooking, about 2 min
   
7. Peel the eggs, cut in half and set aside
   

Prepare the Broth

1. In a small saucepan, add the 2cups of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat
2. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover, and keep on low heat

Cook the Meat

1. Cut the thinly sliced beef into bite-sized pieces
   
2. Heat the oil in a pan
3. Add the meat with ginger and let brown, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces
4. Once the meat is browned, add the 1 tbsp soy sauce and ½ tbsp mirin and continue to cook, letting the sauce thicken
   

Cook the Udon*

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. Once boiling, cook the udon. It will only take 1-2minutes if you're using frozen noodles, follow package instructions if you're using dried noodles
3. Drain the water, then transfer noodles into deep serving bowls

Assemble

1. Top the noodles with the beef, eggs (optional), green onions (optional), wakame (optional)
2. Pour the broth over the bowl and serve
   

Notes

*Cook times for the udon will vary depending on if you use dried or frozen udon. Frozen udon will only take a few minutes to cook, while dry udon, much like dry pasta, will take roughly 10min to prepare. If you're using dry udon, start cooking the noodle before cooking the beef.