A month ago, Bryan was feeling under the weather. Runny nose, headache, weakness… Before he headed to work, we had a small chat.
“Let me make something light and warm for dinner tonight. Udon sounds good?” I asked. I am thinking something like a clear broth with a few pieces of meat and tons of vegetables.
“Yea… Udon is good.” Bryan replied and tilted his head down. With his unusual whispering voice, he added, “curry udon…”.
I replied, “What?!?! CURRY UDON? But you are sick…”
“Curry udon…” He insisted with his soft voice.
“Ok, curry udon it is… As long as you have appetite, anything is fine! By the way, I like curry udon too!” I gave in and I was actually happy with the dinner choice.
That night, I made curry udon and we were both really satisfied.
Curry udon is my favorite way to enjoy udon. A rich and slightly sweet broth with tons of spices perfectly flavored the bouncy and chewy udon. Clear broth just can’t come close in flavors. When I was in college, there was a Japanese food place across from campus. Curry udon with chicken was the only thing I would get. So flavorful!
Later I learned from Just One Cookbook that curry udon is very easy to make. Since then, I would make it every once a while. As winter is approaching, a bowl of rich and hot noodles can keep you warm and give you comfort. Enjoy!
Beef Curry Udon (Adapted from Just One Cookbook)
2 servings
Ingredients:
– 4 cups water
– 2 teaspoons instant dashi powder
– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– ½ large onion (sliced)
– ½ pound thinly sliced beef
– 1 tablespoon sake
– 3 pieces Japanese curry roux
– ½ tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
– 2 udon packages (best to use Sanuki udon)
– 2 green onions (finely chopped)
Directions:
- To make dashi stock, in a small pot, add the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. When it is boiling, stir in the dashi powder. Reduce to low heat to keep warm.
- In a medium pot over medium high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 7 – 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to high. Stir in the beef slices and cook until just cooked through. Remove the beef to a small bowl and set aside. Add 3 cups of the dashi stock and sake to the pot. Bring to a boil. If desired, remove some of the fat that float to the top with a spoon while boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Follow the udon package direction to cook the udon. Drain and divide the udon into 2 large serving bowls.
- Back to the broth. Turn off the heat. Add the curry roux pieces. Stir until the roux has dissolved completely. Turn the heat back on to medium-high and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the soy sauce and taste. If needed, add honey. Stir and mix. If the curry broth is too thick, add some of the remaining dashi stock.
- Place the beef slices on top of the udon. Scoop the curry broth over. Top with green onions. Serve immediately.
Tips:
- Dashi powder, thinly sliced beef, curry roux and Sanuki udon can be easily found in Japanese supermarket, like Mitsuwa and Amazon.
- My favorite curry roux is Vermont curry. It tastes a little sweet.
- I like to buy frozen Sanuki udon and keep them in the freezer until I need it. No defrost is needed. Throw them in boiling water and ready in minutes.
Source: Read
There’s this udon bar called Udon West here in Manhattan that I LOVE going to whenever I’m in that neighborhood.
Can never go wrong with a bowl of udon noodle soup! Then you add curry.. and beef? It turns to MAGIC.
Well done, my friend!
Thank you for your sweet words, Kaiyu! Curry broth is rich and flavorful which is so good during cold weather. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!
I love curry udon, but I’ve never tried making it at home. Thanks for the recipe. Yeah!
Yeah for curry udon! I hope you will like this. It is very easy to make.
Glad I found you site! I’d love to {try} and make this – what kind of beef would you use?
I am impressed with your site as well! Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Rib eye will work really well. If you can’t buy them thinly sliced in store, you can cut them yourself. Follow this steps: http://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-slice-meat/
OK, thanks- I’ll let you know when I make it – my boys will love this, sick or not!
I also used to get curry udon for lunch when I worked in NYC. Why have I never made it at home?! My husband would love this, too. Great idea…I’m on it! : ) Hope your other half is all better – I bet this was just the meal he needed (smart man).
Haha, yea, Bryan recovered quickly. He didn’t need something light, but he wanted something comforting and rich. If you love curry udon, you totally should try this. Easy and just as good as the ones in restaurants.
Wow! What I am missing on…curry udon! I have never tried it before. Now I really have to make this. Looks amazing!
Thank you Oana! This is a rich and flavorful noodle dish. I am sure you will enjoy this!
Your photos are so awesome Lokness. My hubby will love this…perfect cozy fall food! 🙂
Thank you so much, Bonnie! Yes, cozy dish for chilly weather! Oh wait, it hasn’t been really chilly in LA this week… Hopefully, soon!
Definitely craving some of this beef udon curry to devour right now.. it looks SO delicious and packed full of flavour. Great recipe!
Thank you for the sweet comment Thalia! 🙂
Super delicious recipe and great photos! And yes, I agree that curry udon is light 😉
HAHA! Very “light” dish that suits for anyone. 🙂 Thanks Maggie!
Me too a fan of Japanese curry udon!! Such a great dish for the winter season!!I tried to make japanese curry from scratch a few times but honest it’s probably not worth the time and effort given how easy it is to cook out of those curry cubes. Thanks for sharing.
It is a comfort and warm dish for winter. I have tried making Japanese curry roux before too. And I totally agree with you that it is not worth the effort. There isn’t much difference in taste between the homemade and the box one. Keep it easy and simple.
You just reminded me that I haven’t had curry udon for at least half year…OMG! How could I forget! Your curry udon looks ABSOLUTELY delicious. I wish I can have this for night snack… hehehe. Hope Bryan is feeling better now. It took me for a long time to recover from a cold.
Thank you, Nami! Half a year? Wow! We had this 2 times last month! Bryan can’t get enough. LOL! He recovered quickly, but I caught it instead. I am all good now. But yea, a cold is hard to totally get rid of. Hopefully, we won’t get sick in this flu season.
Wow..this looks incredible. I have never made curry udon.. Need to try it soon 🙂 Thanks for the recipe
This is such a comfort and flavorful dish! I am sure you will like it! Let me know if you try it! Thanks for stopping by.