Kitsune Udon is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth, topped with seasoned fried tofu, narutomaki fish cake, and scallions. This hearty Udon soup is one of the most popular, classic Japanese noodle dishes.
Whether you feel under the weather or just really cold from the weather, I can’t recommend enough cooking this bowl of hot Kitsune Udon (Noodle Soup) (きつねうどん).
The rich broth, the chewy noodles, the fried tofu – everything just comes together so nicely in the bowl that you just want to hold your face above it and let the aroma envelop you. It’s the ultimate Japanese comfort dish. And it’s quick to make, so there is no excuse not to try it!
Watch How to Make Kitsune Udon
Kitsune Udon is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth, topped with seasoned fried tofu, narutomaki fish cake, and scallions. This hearty Udon soup is one of the most popular, classic Japanese noodle dishes.
What is Kitsune Udon?
Kitsune literary means ‘fox’ in Japanese. Why do we call the dish – fox udon? There are a few theories about the origin of the name.
One theory says aburaage (deep fried tofu pouch) often appears as a fox’s favorite food in some old Japanese folktales, so people started to call the udon noodle soup topped with aburaage as “kitsune udon.”
Another theory is that people call aburaage by “kitsune” because the color of the deep fried tofu pouch is just like the color of a fox. I think this makes the most sense since in Japanese cooking, we express “golden brown color” by saying “cook till fox color”.
So what is kitsune udon? The noodle soup consists of chewy thick udon noodles, clear dashi broth, and aburaage seasoned well with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Kitsune udon is served as a hot noodle soup, but in the steamy summer months, it is also served chilled with a little bit of dashi based sauce poured over the top.
3 Key Ingredients for Kitsune Udon
To make the perfect bowl of kitsune udon, you need high quality ingredients, starting with these three – dashi, udon, and aburaage.
1. Dashi Broth
I can’t stress enough about having a good quality dashi. The dashi broth gives the dish that rich, umami flavor that will have you sipping up the last drops.
Dashi is so important, which is why I have previously shared three ways to make dashi – using dashi powder or a dashi packet, and making dashi from scratch.
For this kitsune udon recipe, I only recommend making dashi using a dashi packet or making it from scratch. Making it with dashi powder doesn’t have the depth needed to make a flavorful enough broth for this dish. Please don’t get intimidated with making dashi from scratch since it doesn’t take a lot of time compared to using dashi powder. Spend the extra 20 minutes to make a super tasty broth – trust me, it’s worth your time, and it’s easy to make!
I recommend making awase dashi (kombu + katsuobushi/bonito flakes) or katsuo dashi (just bonito flakes) for udon noodle soup broth.
For vegetarian/vegan dashi, please continue reading below.
2. Udon Noodles
Udon noodles are getting very popular outside of Japan, so you can easily purchase the noodles in regular grocery stores in the U.S.
However, if your local Japanese or Asian grocery stores carry frozen udon noodles, or packaged udon noodles that say “Sanuki”, try one of those options. They are more chewy, and won’t easily break into pieces, unlike refrigerated udon noodles that fall apart and just don’t have the right texture.
3. Packaged vs. Homemade Aburaage
Living abroad (outside of Japan), it’s interesting to realize that raw ingredients can be harder to find than prepackaged foods.
In this case, I’m talking about the aburaage (deep fried tofu pouch) and prepackaged inariage (seasoned aburaage shown below). You can easily find inariage – packaged or canned – because we use inariage to make Inari Sushi/Inarizushi.
If you are the lucky one who can find aburaage, try making Homemade Inariage to top your udon noodle soup!
Vegetarian/Vegan-Friendly Kitsune Udon
There is a misconception that dashi is not vegetarian/vegan; however, that’s not completely true. Most well-known dashi are made with bonito flakes and kombu, but in our daily Japanese cooking we also use Kombu Dashi, which is 100% vegetarian/vegan.
To make vegetarian/vegan kitsune udon, make kombu dashi and skip those spiral fish cakes as garnish. And as simple as that, you have vegetarian/vegan kitsune udon!
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Kitsune Udon is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth, topped with seasoned fried tofu, narutomaki fish cake, and scallions. This hearty Udon soup is one of the most popular, classic Japanese noodle dishes.
- 2 pkgs Udon noodles (I like sanuki udon, see Notes)
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 kombu (dried kelp) (2" x 5" or 5 cm x 12 cm)
- 1 ½ cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (15 g = .5 oz) (skip if vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp usukuchi (light-color) soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
- ½ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
- 4 Inariage (seasoned fried tofu pouch) (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- Narutomaki (fish cakes) (skip for vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice)
Gather all the ingredients.
Put the kombu and 2 ½ cup water in a measuring cup for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, soak for 3 hours or up to half day. Kombu’s flavor comes out naturally from soaking in water. If you don’t have time at all, skip soaking.
Transfer kombu and water to a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over medium low heat.
Just before boiling (you will see bubbles around the edges of the pan), remove the kombu. If you leave the kombu inside, the dashi will become slimy and bitter. Now this broth is Kombu Dashi (vegetarian/vegan). Add 1 ½ cups katsuobushi and bring it to a boil again.
Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat, simmer for just 15 seconds, and turn off the heat. Let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Strain the dashi through a fine mesh sieve set over a saucepan.
In the saucepan that already has dashi, add 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and ½ tsp kosher salt and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and set aside.
Squeeze excess liquid from the inariage (or you can keep it as it is). Cut the green onion into thin slices. Slice the Narutomaki fish cake into 1/8 inch (3 mm).
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for udon noodles. When everything is ready, start cooking udon noodles. Frozen udon noodles (my favorite kind) takes only 1 minute from putting into boiling water. If you use dry noodles, follow the package instructions. Heat up the noodle soup.
Pick up the noodles in a strainer or drain hot water. Make sure to remove excess water (which will end up diluting your soup).
Serve udon noodles and soup in serving bowls and top with inariage, narutomaki, green onion and sprinkles of shichimi togarashi.
Dashi: It's really important to have good flavorful dashi for this recipe. Although you can make dashi easily with dashi powder or dashi packet, I encourage you to make your own dashi because the broth tastes so much better and it only takes less than 30 minutes to make. For vegetarian/vegan, please use Kombu Dashi.
Udon noodles: You can use any kind of udon, but I like frozen sanuki udon from Asian/Japanese supermarkets. If you use frozen udon, you don't have to defrost prior to cooking.
Inariage: Homemade inariage recipe, click here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on May 25, 2011. Pictures were updated in November 2017. The new video was added in April 2018.
I can’t eat udon at 10 AM, but I would like to 🙂
Haha Giulia, you are funny. It’s almost 1:40am here and I can eat it. LOL.
This Udon looks delicious and hot! Its always better to have what makes you feel better special in times you feel sick.
Thank you Matthew!
I hope you feel better. That soup should definitely help
Thank you Maris. Now my family is sick. >_< I hope you are well. 🙂
This bowl of soup udon is just perfect for a sick patient like me…. Love the angle you captured 🙂
Thanks Ellena! We’re both sick…. Hope you will get well soon!
I love Japanese cuisine!
I can eat udon and sashimi at any time, anywhere.
Hi Fresh Garden! Thank you! It always make me smile when someone says he/she loves Japanese food. 🙂
I hope you recover soon!!! This soup looks like it is the perfect remedy! I have never eaten udon, but it sounds so inviting! I also love your picture and the way you styled the dish! It looks lovely <3!!!!
Thank you Manu! Now my family is sick. How awful… I think I got it from my son, but…now it looks like I gave it to 3 of them. >_< Italian has all sorts of pasta, so I'm sure udon belongs to some kind of category in Italian pasta (LOL). Thank you for your comment!
Thank you so much for sharing! I love the authenticity of all of your dishes. I have a tendency to “americanize” just about everything I cook at home. But you make this look so easy, I’m thinking I might be able to recreate it *fingers crossed*.
Get well soon. 🙂
Thank you Kate! I have been here (in the US) for 15 years, and I hope people in Japan will call my dish still “authentic”. But I don’t really cook fusion food because I’m not creative enough…and I’ve been cooking Japanese food for a long time, so it should be authentic enough (although some ingredients may be replaced by something similar I can get here). 🙂
Nami, I having sore throat too since last week, so I need this kind of comfort udon soup too, hehehe. But I need to make dashi from scratch as i don’t like the dashi pack that I bought as too much of msg added. Hope I am able to find the pack you recommended. Ya, do you know how to home made the fish cake? Here selling very expensive at the shop. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sonia! You too? SF has been cold lately and I think people are getting sick here. 🙁 I don’t like MSG one too, especially we drink miso soup almost everyday. So I use this brand that I show. When I have time I make dashi by myself, but I don’t want to discourage everyone by asking them to follow such a tedious task. LOL. Hmmm I have never made fish cake by myself… it’s pretty cheap here (under $3 maybe) and I don’t always use it because it’s processed…. And homemade seems too much work for “just” fish cake you know. You have to cook something after that with the fish cake and I just don’t have that time…. Hope you will feel better Sonia!
And…congratulations on the preschool graduation! Adorable. 🙂
Haha thanks!!!
I just made kitsune udon too but it was because it was a rainy day and we were staying indoors. hope you are feeling better!
Thank you Kat! It’s rainy day here too. And my family is sick now. I am glad I bought more frozen packs of udon. 🙂 I have been craving for curry udon lately…
I hope you get feeling better soon Nami. Theres nothing better than soup when your sick : ) Im just loving learning about the Japanese food culture. Im so glad I found your blog! : )
Hi Holly! Thank you for your kind word. 🙂 I’m glad I’m showing you some Japanese home cooking. Surely there are more than Sushi and Teriyaki Chicken, or Tempura. 🙂
Nami, Your kitsune udon looks like a delicious, home remedy to practically everything! (I have never tasted inariage!!!). You are of course right with dashi. The more I discover the Japanese cuisine, the more I realise how few recipes are possible to realise without dashi (Oyakodon I have recently made was one more good example).
I really hope you feel better now! It’s funny, since I have always thought in the US people heal throat ache with ice-cream 🙂 Take care of yourself!
Hi Sissi! I’m so happy someone knows what I’m talking about. Dashi is the key, and we use it for almost everything (right?). In fact, my dashi packet is a “joke”. But with my daily busy life, I just have to do what I can to keep cooking. So I think this option is still okay compared to the powder option. Some people pay very expensive money for Katsuobushi and shave as they use… I wish I have time and money but oh well we don’t have that kind of luxury…. I’m still a bit sick, but now whole family is sick… I’m going to be busy taking care of them. You made me laugh about ice-cream. I wish it is true. 😉 Thank you for your kind comment Sissi!
Udon is one of my FAVORITE noodles! This soup looks comforting and delicious. I REALLY hope you feel better soon! Sending you positive energy!
Hi Tiffany! Thanks for your positive energy. Actually I always get your energy when I visit your blog. I thought you should know that. 🙂
Yummy! I did something similar yesterday and I must confess that udon is becoming my go to food for when I don’t feel in top shape…. Of course my version is more like a weird mix of substitute ingredients that more or less end up tasting like a Japanese soup….
Haha! Don’t worry you won’t improve my Italian food or Japapized Italian food. 😉 We put shredded seaweed on top and it’s soy sauce and dashi based flavor. I have to cook one day and show you. 😉
OMG, I just visited your blog! When I was reading your comment, I didn’t expect you posted it. Yayyyy! So happy!! Now I really need to show you Japanese pasta! I’ll be working on it. 😉
Hi Nami,
I would choose your udon over any chicken soup anytime, because it looks very delicious. This is the first time I have visited your site and I feel like a little kid in a toy store admiring everything that I see. Your website is amazingly beautiful. More success to you.
Ray 🙂
Hi Ray! Thank you so much for visiting my site. 🙂 No no, it’s actually my pleasure finding your site!
Now this looks like a good and authentic soup Nami! I love udon noodles, and this sounds like my family would enjoy it very much. We love homemade ramen soup and eat it few time a week, sometimes even every day:) but I will look for dashi in a Asian store, I want to taste it 😀
thank you for sharing and hopefully you are feeling better now!!!!:)
Hi Sandra! Thanks for your comment! I know you cook ramen a lot for your kids. I hope you find dashi. It’s the soup base for miso soup (before adding miso) and it’s very simple and non-oil, which is healthy. 🙂
Aww, so sorry about the sore throat! Glad you were able to make yummy soup for it 🙂
Thank you Allie! Now my whole family is sick. 🙁 I have to check your blog to see if your BF liked the giant burger cake! 😉
One of Ryan’s favorite! Hoping to try this soon…
Thanks Tina! I hope Ryan likes it. 🙂
I am new to the site and like it very much. My husband is Japanese and loves when I do some home cooking. This is one of our daughter’s favorite meals, but I cheat and use Memmi to make the broth instead of dashi.
Hope you feel better. I am going to look around and read your recipes.
Hi Joley! Thank you for stopping by my website. 🙂 It’s good that your husband likes your home cooking meal! I used to use memmi/mentsuyu long time ago, but I feel like it’s too salty and not my favorite kind of soup and why I’m even using this… so I started to study how to make the soup and came to this conclusion. Since then I use this recipe all the time. I realized it’s nice to make soup from scratch so everyone who has typical Japanese condiments can make it from scratch, instead of buying mentsuyu. Thank you for your sweet word, but my whole family became sick now. >_< I hope you enjoy reading my recipes. Thanks again for visiting!!
For me too, a cup of chicken soup or masala chai do the trick.I m so in love with the concept of noodles , meat & veggies in a broth..nothing like it..its so good for the body too coz its light.Infact we always discuss in India that chinese & japanese cusines are so figure friendly as compared to our creamy curries 🙂 Is that a white fish cake or radish with a swirl that I see? its looking beautiful!
P.S.- If you drink tea I think you try indian spiced tea your throat will feel better 🙂
Hi Tanvi! What’s “masara” chai? I’m not sure if I mentioned in your blog before, but I drink chai every single day. Sometimes twice a day. I have an Indian neighbor who lives 2 houses down and we became good friends. She taught me how to make a simple chai, and ever since I’m making it in the morning and afternoon. Another friend also taught me how, but that one takes longer time (she just use milk no water), so I’m just making simple one. I have to say I’m addicted with cardamom smell. My friend mentioned the same thing about “figure” but I tell her there is an exception (me) who doesn’t belong. I rather want to live with good Indian food. 😉 p.s. The fish cake is called Narutomaki. And we usually put it in noodles like udon and ramen. 🙂
Nami, I can’t believe you are still blogging and cooking while under the weather! Take care of yourself. Though I am very glad you shared this recipe, it looks simple to make and very comforting! Hope you feel better very soon!
Hi Cindy! Haha, I took that picture 2 weeks ago (now you can tell how often this noodle is served at our lunch table). Thank you for your sweet word but now whole family is sick… we need to get better soon! Hope you are well. Houston is probably warm that you guys must be enjoying the sun!
Aww you poor thing! Yes Houston is getting VERY HOT and almost unbearable, but what am I whining about? Not like the high temperature and humidity is a surprise, after all we’ve lives here for more than 20 years… Well you take care, hope everyone recovers from the cold very soon!
Thanks Cindy! I still remember when my mom told me when I was in high school how huge the Huston airport was… I wish I get to visit there one day (not because of the airport, but to see you. LOL!).
I need to make udon again soon…!! All your fault, Nami ;)!! I’ve always enjoyed eating udon noodle soup though. Very near to my house there’s a Japanese restaurant specialising on sushi, but it also offers homemade udon noodle soups with aburaage. I love it! My favourite topping is still prawn tempura, but from time to time aburaage is fine too, especially when I don’t have to cook it myself ;). Now, you mention aburaage, I think I should make inarizushi with aburaage next time because I don’t like the ready made canned inari tofu pouches, too sweet for my palate. Is it actually possible to make inarizushi with aburaage? If yes, I would try to find out where I can buy it…!
Hi CG! Because of my “udon lover” daughter I cook udon a lot. When I ask her what she wants to eat for lunch, she goes “udon please”. I shouldn’t even ask. LOL. Oh yes, shrimp tempura is my son’s favorite and it’s yummy… I’m too lazy to deep fry just for udon, so I usually order that at a restaurant. I know what you mean about store-bought inariage being so sweet. You can also reheat inariage in a pot by adding dashi/water and adjust the taste. But then what’s the point of taking a short cut, huh. =P Yes, we make Inariage from scratch too. Have you seen flat aburaage? Chinese use thick square deep fried tofu, but we use this thin one to put in miso soup or make Inariage. When you cut in half you can put stuff in it… oh I have a picture of it. I’ll add link here (you see we can just lift tofu and stuff inside?): https://www.justonecookbook.com/blog1/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Taiwanese-Hot-Pot-Homemade-Meatballs-5.jpg
Looking at that bowl of udon makes me feel good. Luckily, this time, all the ingredients are available in my nearby Oriental supermarket. Yeyy! Hope it made you feel better, Nami.
Hi Adora! Thank you for your kind word. I made my whole family sick now…right before 3-day weekend! >_< Your picture of udon (and pork) on facebook totally inspired me to cook udon on the same day. 😉
Hi Nami, hope you’re recovered by now. 🙂
For our family, we took plain soupy porridge or just the soup from the plain porridge (will keep you full too) when we’re sick.
So that’s a dashi packet! I saw that before but couldn’t understand Japanese, not sure what is it for, ended up didn’t buy.. but now I know! LOL
This kitsune-udon is definitely good for warming the body! Tks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Lyn! Well, it’s more like I spread the sickness to my family. >_< Now my family is sick too. I never liked porridge growing up. It was too plain for me. Although we usually eat when we get sick, I noticed Chinese eat at any time and they serve even at dim sum too. I think Chinese one tastes better. So now you know the Dashi Packet. So far I haven't seen dashi packet written in English, so I am glad the picture of it helped. 🙂
Hi Nami! Wish you & your family a speedy recovery! I’m sure all of you will coz there’s a caring lady, mommy & wifey in the house making sure everyone is fit and healthy. 🙂
Yes, we can eat porridge anytime of the day. The porridge that they serve at dim sum is the Cantonese porridge which has more flavor as they use chicken/ dried scallop stock (depending on the restaurants’ chefs) to cook their porridge on low heat, keep stirring until thickens just like paste.
Another type is the Teochew plain porridge(the soupy porridge I mentioned) & Fish Porridge. The cooking method is easier and faster. For the plain one, you just need to add more water to the rice, not much stirring involved, just boil till rice cook and it’s done. As for the Fish porridge, actually they’re using plain rice and just need to pour hot fish soup on the rice. 🙂
Yes! All your pictures do help alot! Especially those us who don’t understand Japanese wordings. 😀
Hi Lyn! Thank you for your kind and sweet word. Well, despite my hard work, my kids are still sick. 🙁 I’m getting better but I’m feeling the age – it takes a long time to get better… My mother-in-law brings dried scallop from Taiwan and I have it in the fridge. I should make more flavorful porridge next time. Thanks for your sweet comments!
Hi Nami! Sorry to hear that 🙁 Maybe you and your kids can try taking more Vit C and according to my bro-in-law, it’s clinically proven that 100Plus, the isotonic drink does helps when you fall sick. I do give it to my girls when the weather is too humid or when they’ve got fever and I find it does helps a bit.
Wish you and your kids speedy recovery. 🙂
Thanks for your recommendation. We are taking vitamin supplement on daily basis too. I’m not familiar with isotonic drink, but will check into that. It’s so hard to be sick for this long. Thanks Lyn!
You’re most welcome Nami. 🙂
Glad you feel better. To me tea with honey is the best remedy for a sour throat but I would take your soup any day..it looks so inviting and delicious..
lovely pictures and wonderful styling Nami 🙂
Hi Sawsan! Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂 I’m doing okay although I’m not 100% recovered but I made the rest of my family sick. I’m drinking tea with honey as well. Your strawberry crumbles would make me happy and fully recovered…j/k.
That would be a perfect dish to clear the head and soothe the throat. I really like the simplicity of your recipes. Even folks inexperienced with Japanese cooking can follow along. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Hi Mary! Thank you for your kind words! 🙂 Traditional Japanese food is usually very simple and we enjoy the taste of ingredients….but there are also heavy food like Tonkatsu and Tempura… I enjoy your blog Mary. I don’t know how you can keep up posting so often. I’m admired of you!
I hope you feel better soon, Nami! I know this beautiful bowl of noodles and broth will help! I hope I can find a dashi packet so I can try this lovely dish 🙂
Thank you Liz! I hope you find a dashi packet too, but if you can’t find it, there is always an option of dashi powder where you can probably find in American supermarket Asian section (if your supermarket has such a section).
Oh No!!! You nedd to rest now ; ) San Jose is really cold today makes me think about having Ramen. Yes, I’m not that crazy about Udon, but I LOVE Ramen! Take it easy, Nami-chan!
Hi Mika-san! It’s cold here too. It starts to have sun but very windy and cold… Feel like eating pho now. 🙂
This sounds like Japanese comfort food. 🙂
Japanese food/cuisine is so tasty! I love just about everything that I have ever tried.
Thanks Kate! It’s always nice to hear compliments about your own country’s food. 🙂
This dish is beautiful and looks so delicious!! Great job as always 🙂
Thank you Kara!!
Nami your picture is making me crave Udon! I hope you are feeling better… I missed your husbands post yesterday so I have to go check it out too. I love that he is getting involved and enjoying this with you. So nice!
Thanks Lindsey! Haha he just told me he bought a Ad Hoc cookbook and he is excited to cook. Then he said he wants to be a guest post on JOC…..hmmm I wonder if he got addicted to write a post. LOL.
So sorry that you weren’t feeling well for your lovely weekend away. Great that you are feeling better now though. Your Kitsune Udon looks incredible and easy to see why it made you feel better.
🙂 Mandy
Thank you Mandy! I was so excited with the weekend away so I managed okay. LOL. Plus it wasn’t too bad until Monday morning. I am slowly recovering, but now my family got sick from me. Moms can’t get sick and take care of everyone… I hope you and your family are well. 🙂
Oh, no… I’m sorry you got sick but glad you’re feeling better. This kitsune udon sounds like a perfect way to soothe your throat.
Thanks Sheri! Yes, warm noodle soup made me feel better. 🙂
I love udon soup and this recipe is so simple but looks amazing! And I can totally relate to being in a foreign country and trying to recreate the flavors of home. I find myself doing that quite often. Comfort food is just what we know!
Hi Katherine! I know it’s sometimes hard to be away from home, and only thing that make you feel close to home is eating food that you grow up with. Thank you for your kind comment Katherine! 🙂
Sorry to hear U got sick… Get well soon hopefully..
btw, I love this udon.. and you presented it nicely…^,^
Thank you for your kind comment! 🙂
I am sorry to hear you were sick! Glad you’re better… So sorry I missed reading your husband’s post… I need to go check that out! This Udon dish looks fabulous! I remember eating something that looked like this in Singapore, but I don’t remember if it was Udon. I wish we could get Japanese ingredients where I live 🙁 I’m really craving this right now… Sigh! Thanks for the great post!
Thanks Marsha! I made my family sick! >_< Oh well… hopefully we'll all get better and enjoy the 3 day weekend this weekend. I know it is sometimes very hard to find Japanese ingredients. I used to live in different city in SF Bay Area, and even in the same area, it was so difficult to cook Japanese food because I had to drive far to get ingredients… I met a lot of foodie friends in Singapore after blogging, and it seems like there are LOTS of good places to eat there. Thanks for your kind message Marsha! 🙂
I like the way you have presented it, looks very attractive.
Thanks Ayeesha!
Dashi stock in Jap cuisine is like chicken stock in Chinese cuisine 🙂
I did not know kitsune udon means fox udon – what an interesting background story to the udon.
Hi Tigerfish! Yes it is. Kitsune = fox. And folktale says fox loves aburaage (deep fried tofu). And do you know the other kind of famous udon? It’s Tanuki Udon. This udon has the deep fried tempura crumbs on top. Tanuki means racoon. Now I need to Google to see why it is called so! Even I don’t know why… LOL.
Hope you feel better already my dear. I had a bad flu for 2 weeks but recovered now. The weather here is super hot and it is killing! Your bowl of Kitsune Udon looks so comforting and delicious and I am sure my Quay Lo will flip if I make this for him because he LOVES udon. Oh I agree with you 100% that the soup will taste more authentic to make the udon broth from scratch.
Hi Quay Po! Thank you so much! Oh my you were down for 2 weeks with flu! It’s so hard to be sick as a mom because you have so much to do around the house and take care of family. I hope Quay Lo will like it! 😉
You know udon is one of my favorites. This is the ultimate comfort yummy bowl of deliciousness.
Thanks Belinda! I grew up eating more curry udon than kitsune udon actually, because after we eat curry, the next day lunch was curry udon. Thanks for your kind comment! 🙂
hey! i just came across your blog – it’s great!
Thanks Emma for visiting my site! 🙂
Nami, I hope you feel better soon. I love udon soup. This looks so yummy. We are definitely a chicken soup remedy family. It always seems to work wonders, though I wouldnt mind trying this soup next time, even if Im not feeling sick!
Thanks Beth! Chinese use chicken soup as remedy too. I don’t know why it’s not common in Japanese food culture… We eat this kind of udon all the time, mainly for lunch though. Thanks for your kind word. 🙂
Hi! nami last week i’m also seek :(. but now well .Sorry to hear u got sick… Get well soon hopefully..
I like ur udon dish .. and u done nicely.
Hi Daksha! How are you feeling now? Are you fully recovered? I got my husband and kids sick as well…. Thanks for your sweet comment. 🙂
Nami-Your Udon soup is so incredible, I would much prefer this delicious soup to any kind of soup. So inviting, and comforting:D
Thank you Elizabeth! 🙂
Oh I really hope you’re feeling better Nami! I’m sure this soup really helped =)
Thanks Peggy!! Haha yes it made me warm and feel good. 🙂
Thanks Kristen! Unfortunately I still have it but I’m thankful I don’t have fever. 🙂
Hope you feel better soon! If anything’ll health you up, I’m sure this soup will…I love that you topped the udon with fish cake. My fave…
Hi Celia! Thank you for your kind words. You like fish cake? This narutomaki is cute one right? Even one or few slices add some character. 🙂 I hope you have a great weekend!
Hi Lin Ann! Really, a popsicle for sore throat! It sounds like soothing! If I was kid I would pretend to have sore throat for sure!! LOL. Thank you for your kind word. 🙂
Feel better soon. We and your family want you to be at 100%!
Thank you Sandra! Yes, mom has to be strong! 😉
Hope you feel better 🙂 Love your recipe and pictures are awesome as always 🙂
Thank you Suzana!
Great soup. Great blog.
Thank you Rosemary!
Thank you Alisha! I’m a bit better. Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
Hello!
I recently discovered your blog when I googled goma ae recipe.
I am Japanese living in Australia since I was 5. I grew up eating my mum’s Japanese cooking and she is known in the community for being a great cook.
I love cooking but only made western food.
Although I love my mother’s Japanese cooking, I never cooked Japanese myself as I cannot read Japanese and the Japanese cook books available were so obviously nit genuine so I never bothered.
UNTIL I FOUND YOUR BLOG!!!!!!
I absolutely love ur recipes! They are consise, creative and traditional and very very genuine. I end up making a dish I never thought was possible by anyone other than my mum and I have ur recipes to thank.
Your blog is now on top of my bookmarked pages and I wanted to thank you for making my culinary experience more exciting and bringing my past into the present through food.
Thank you!
Hi Kae! Your comment made my day… It’s passed 2am and I am just so happy reading your comment!! 🙂 Thank you so much for leaving a comment here so that I know who is actually reading my blog. 🙂 You are lucky to have a mom who’s a great cook! I started my blog so that my kids who were born here in the US can cook Japanese food one day… I was typing my recipes in Japanese first, then I realized my kids may not be able to read what I was writing! So I started to translate my recipes into English. I’m very happy that people in the world besides my family and friends can use my recipes. Thank you again!
Oh and PS guess what’s for dinner tonight…!? Yup kitsune udon!!!!!
My mum used to give me her homemade dashi-soup in a bottle (in an isho-bin for sake) every winter so I can just dump the noodles in… Now, I’m making my own 🙂
But still need to turn to her for some “ten-kasu” he he!
Yes! You made Kitsune Udon! 🙂 I’m so happy you made it. I hope you liked the taste of the soup. I used to make just whatever, but after I started to measure, I spent some time adjusting the taste. So far I’m happy with this taste…. It all varies depends on dashi etc, but I hope you liked it! Thank you again for letting me know! I’m so happy! Your mom makes homemade tenkasu? Wow, you really should learn all the cooking from her! 🙂
I just left you a comment before the PS one…but must have been a glitch and didnt post!!!! Anyway i just saying how I love cooking but I never cooked Japanese as I can’t read Japanese and the english ones were just not genuine enough. My mum is known in the community for her cooking so I never tried to make Japanese food…. It all just seemed too hard!!! But after discovering your blog I am loving Japanese cooking and wanted to thank you for your exciting, traditional and very genuine recipes!!!!! I look to you every time and with success!!! I made the pork and eggplant roll yesterday with goma ae and loved it!!!!!!!!!
So thank you again for bringing me back my childhood in my own kitchen!
Kae, I’m sorry. Your comment was in my Spam folder so that’s why it didn’t appear on the comment section. You made Gomaae and eggplant roll too? Waaa I’m so happy! 🙂 I hope you enjoy my recipes, and let me know if you have specific recipe you want to try. I’ll think about it. 😉
I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I hope this kitsune udon will nurse you back to healthy. I normally eat porridge but this light and delicious bowl of noodles look very comforting as well. Another dish that I can think of that will be good is ocha zuke.
I will have to look for this dashi packet again. I think I have only used it once but I can’t remember where I bought it. It makes a very clear dashi.
Get well soon, Nami! Big hugs to you…Biren
Hi Biren! I hate to be sick. And I feel like it’s taking much longer time to recover compared to a few years ago. Definitely age, right? My kids are still sick although hubby recovered quickly. Hmmm… at least one person can feed us when we become worse. LOL. Ocha zuke! Biren, we can talk about food forever. I used to eat Ochazuke a lot when I was in school, but ended up gaining weight from eating rice late at night. Hehehe. I buy mine for…$3 something… It’s more expensive than hondashi (dashi powder) but tastes MUCH better. I use dashi all the time so it’s a must for me. I make dashi from scratch sometimes (sooometimes) but not worth the time and effort with 2 crazy kids around. Yes, I’ll need to get better soon… Thank you so much for your kind word Biren. Big hugs back to you. 🙂
What are these little white blossom-shaped things with the pink spiral you used for topping? They look beautiful!
Hi Kath! This called Narutomaki. I have a picture of the package in Pantry page: https://www.justonecookbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Naruto.jpg
We put this fish cake for ramen and udon noodle soup. We have the opposite color (white spiral with pink base) as well. 🙂 Check it out at your nearby Asian market. 😉
hope you are feeling better nami! this looks perfect for a sick day.. but if only your hubby would to cook not you! *hugs* take care!
Thank you Daphne! Unfortunately my kids and I are still sick wasting this sunny long weekend we have… I’ve been eating this kind of simple food and now I’m craving for something more flavorful. LOL. Thanks for your sweet and kind words Daphne! Big hugs back to you. 🙂
Hi Nami, I just discovered your blog today and am loving it. All your food looks so yummy. My family loves udon noodle soup. I live in SF too!! Can you tell me which store I can find the dashi packets at? I’ve seen other dashi packets but they all contain MSG. Does Ranch 99 sell them? thanks.
Hi Elaina! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I’m so happy you like my little space here. 🙂 I go to Marina (another Chinese market) in San Mateo and they have more variety of Japanese products since the lady who stocks the shelves is Japanese. I used to go to Ranch 99 but their Japanese products are more “American Japanese brand”…so I stopped going there. Therefore, I’m not sure if you can find dashi packet in Ranch 99… Another choice if you live in the city is Nijiya in Japan Town. Hondashi etc has MSG so I try to avoid too. I hope you can find it. You can always make it from scratch (I have the page for How To Make Dashijiru)…but it is more time consuming. 🙁 Hope this helps, and if not, please feel free to write me back!
I was reading your curry udon post and had to click on the link back to this recipe. I love inarisushi so I knew that a soup garnished with the tofu skins would probably be delicious as well. I just have to find a source for the fish cakes. 🙂
Oh I love Kitsune udon! It’s my favorite udon ever. I haven’t had any that tastes like the type I had in Okinawa. I might try your way and see if it taste the same. Plus it looks wonderful!
Hi Akane! I hope you like the recipe. 🙂
thank you for the information on dashi stock. i will look for the dashi packet at my local store.
I made this last night with the second dashi I got after making dashi for the tonjiru. It was wonderful! Just like the soup served in good Japanese restaurants back in Singapore! You’re a genius, Nami! Thanks for sharing your culinary skills with us!
Udon soup is quite easy to make and you can add your favorite toppings. It’s nice to be able to cook at home since it’s more economical, too. Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
This dish looks really delicious. I can’t wait to cook this udon dish. I read the legend before and found it wonderful.
Hi Chris! Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I’m going to attempt to make this for my family (who are all recovering from colds) sometime this week. I was just wondering why you prefer using dashi over hondashi, I could only find hondashi at my local japanese store. Also they didn’t have any inariage, just aburaage but I’m told this isn’t a problem.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Joseph! Hondashi vs homemade is same theory as bouillon cube vs homemade chicken/vegetable broth. It tastes much better when you make soup from homemade dashi. It takes time to make homemade, so when you are sick or busy, I think it’s convenient and healthier to use hondashi and make this noodle at home than eating out or taking out food. I have nothing against hondashi but if you ask me which tastes better, definitely homemade version. No chemical in it and pure simple flavor.
I am planning to share homemade inari age recipe. Maybe when I can finish editing and writing I can post how to make inari age this week. I use Aburaage and it’s so delicious! I will do my best to finish!
Hope your family will recover from colds soon. 🙂
Thanks for the quick reply! I understand the difference now. I already bought hondashi but next time I will use your how to make Dashi guide. I definitely saw some Kombu at the store so I don’t need to worry about finding that. Would you say there’s a big difference in taste between Awase Dashi and Kombu Dashi?
I look forward to the inari age recipe, I’ll probably have the cold by the end of the week so I’ll need some Udon Soup 😀
I wrote a little bit about the difference between awase dashi and kombu dashi in this post:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
Awase dashi has smoked bonito flakes (katsuobushi) in it, so it has really good smoky flavor. I like it a lot and use awase dashi for most of my dishes unless I mention. It has stronger flavor than kombu – kombu can be too subtle for some dishes that has strong seasonings.
Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I just made the Kitsune Udon for dinner tonight, and I am so amazed at how good it tastes. It is the real thing! When I make this for my friends, I think they will be amazed at the taste. Wow, I just can’t get over how authentic it tastes. There are alot of recipes online, but it’s hard to really recreate a lot of dishes you have eaten at restaurants to taste like it should without having the taste altered in some way. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes!
Thank you for sharing all of your recipes!
Eun
Hi Eun! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m glad to hear you liked the recipe. Ingredients are very simple but the portion is the key, I guess. Japanese seasoning is always soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar… those are the typical seasoning, but each food has different portion which makes it taste a bit different. I hope you enjoy my other recipes too. Thanks again for stopping by! 🙂
Omg, i love this recipe i make it every fortnight!?!!!!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I am not a big fan of Udon… But having made this the other day, I have just changed my mind about Udon. The soup is light, comforting and delicious, especially on a cold rainy day!
Hi Alana! I always recommend people to try “Sanuki” udon. It’s more delicious than regular udon. The quality of udon varies. I always buy frozen sanuki udon. Hope you can try that kind (or tried it this time). 🙂
I’m a foreigner living in Japan and was looking for an authentic udon recipe so I can make it at home. This recipe was so delicious! Thank you!
Hi Catherine! I’m so happy you liked this recipe, and thank you very much for your feedback! Hope you are enjoying your stay in Japan! 🙂
I substituted the narutomaki with beef (my steak’s about to expire) and spinach with mushrooms but it still tasted lovely for dinner. Thanks for the recipe! 😀
Hi KN.W! Yay! I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed this dish (with substitution – it’s really a good thing not to waste food!). Thank you so much for letting me know! xo 🙂
i would try to cook this recipe for sure 🙂 I’m your big fan now will let you know how it’s going to be lol
Hi bb! Aww thank you so much! I’m happy to hear you enjoy reading my blog. 🙂 Hope you like this recipe!
Hi ,Nami I love your recipe and appreciate your sharing. It somehow inspires me with an amateur version:
http://servicefromheart.blogspot.sg/2014/02/no-fry-udon-with-vegetable-soup-recipe.html
Which soy sauce would be better for this recipe, Koikuchi shoyu or Usukuchi shoyu?
I really want to try it but don’t know which one to use.
Hi Ben! It’s really up to you. People in Osaka area (Kansai area) use light soup for dishes like this, so they use Usukuchi Shoyu. When they go to Tokyo area (Kanto area), they get surprised how dark the soup is. Usukuchi Shoyu is slightly saltier despite the light color. So please adjust. Hope this helps! 🙂
In your recipes, does salt refer to kosher salt or regular table salt? The amounts should vary depending on which one. Also do you use iodized or non-iodized salt, and does it make a difference?
Hi Stephen! I feel so bad. I do remember answering this question from my phone, but now I saw your comment unanswered. I think I failed to post the response somehow.
I always use kosher salt for cooking, and sometimes sea salt if I season after cooking etc. Hope this helps! I’m terribly sorry about this very late response. 🙁
I just made this tonight! So delicious and FILLING too 🙂 Next time I’m making the dashi stock in advance, though- it took me a whole 2 hours to make the stock and the inari age. But it was definitely worth it!
Hi Addie! So glad you liked it! If you make dashi from scratch, yeah it might need some time to make (if you follow the “correct” way, not skipping or cutting down on time). It’s always good to keep dashi in fridge (or freezer). 🙂 Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Addie!
I <3 udon noodles! They're really good in chicken broth, but I've made the dashi version as well. And you're right—they are good for a cold or whatever ails you. 🙂
Hi Ethel! So glad you tried the dashi version. It’s lighter and good when you’re not feeling well or don’t have much appetite. 🙂
Hi i was looking at your recipe and was wondering if memmi soup base could be used instead of dashi? Many thanks!
Hi aolsen! Yes! Usually it needs to be diluted, so adjust according to your taste. I also have Mentsuyu (same as Menmi) recipe in case you want to make from scratch. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to/mentsuyu-noodle-soup-base/
I’m so excited that I found this recipe. That I found you. My family makes very good food and I’m learning from them now, but I know if I want homemade Japanese anything -short of crawling my way to Japan or into some poor stranger’s home- I’m going to have to learn to make it myself. There’s just something so beautiful about eating Japanese food. Alright.. enough fangirling over your recipes and my future as a master udon chef… Thank you.
Hi Amanda! Thank you for your kind comment. I hope you enjoy cooking from my blog, and if you have any question about ingredients or methods, or anything, feel free to email me! I’d be happy to help! 🙂 Thank you!!
Hi Nami, I recently saw your handmade udon post and it led me here. Is the flavour of kitsune udon similar to that of kake udon?
Hi Barbara! “Kake Udon” is a style of udon – basically after taking out udon from boiling water, you quickly run cold water, and then serve in a bowl and pour hot dashi broth over. Kitsune udon can be the same but with deep fried tofu as a topping. So yes, the flavor is the same (it’s up to how you season the broth). 🙂
Mmm one of my favorites!
Wow this looks really great! I love Japanese foods, but once I tried Kitsune udon, I’ve never been more hooked to any other dishes. It’s simple, but all the fundamental points of a good meal is there in this humble dish.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Odi! I’m so happy to hear you like Kitsune Udon! It’s one of my most favorite noodle soup recipes too! Hope you enjoy this recipe at home! 🙂
Hi Nami,
After some googling about Hondashi you are probably the only person who will be able to help me (as always 🙂 ).
I read that Hondashi is the “real dashi” and has only the fish taste, no konbu and is kind of like more superior in taste to katsuo dashi. And it costs like 3 times more than katsuo dashi powder. Is the konbu ingredient the only difference between hondashi and katsuo dashi? When do you use hondashi exactly? I would really like a few examples/recipes where you should use hondashi and not katsuo dashi.
Thank you in advance!!
Hi Alina! First of all, please know that Hondashi is the name of product by the company called Ajinomono.
http://www.ajinomoto.co.jp/products/detail/?ProductName=hondashi
If you use Google chrome, you can translate the page to English, and here’s the “ingredients” for Hondashi:
Salt, sugars (sugar, lactose), flavor raw materials (dried bonito powder, and extract), yeast extract, wheat protein fermented seasoning, yeast extract fermented seasoning / seasoning (such as amino acids)
I don’t know your source of information, but I don’t consider Hondashi as “real dashi”.
And also, there is no “superior” dashi when it comes to the types of dashi – Katsuo Dashi, Kombu Dashi, Iriko Dashi, Awase Dashi, etc.
It’s just different dashi made with different ingredients and we will need all these different types based on the food we make.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
Hondashi (according to ingredients list) doesn’t include any kombu so it’s basically Katsuo Dashi because it only includes bonito flakes and extract etc as flavor.
I do not use Hondashi anymore in my cooking because it just has extra “stuff” in the powder that I do not need. I can make it from scratch and made it with bonito flakes (katsuo) and kombu – which is awase dashi that I use for most of cooking.
I put “dashi” in most of my recipes, unless I specified. Some recipes require only kombu dashi etc. It’s up to you what type of dashi you want to use. If you like Katsuo Dashi, you can do that. If you want Awase Dashi – the combination of kombu and katsuo, you can do that too.
So basically Hondashi is powder form of Katsuo Dashi. You can make katsuo dashi with Katsuobushi or use instant powder like Hondashi, but most of the Hondashi available outside of Japan has MSG in it.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Kitsune udon is one of my favorite things to get at Mitsuwa!
Hi Cynthia! I always love Kitsune udon too, because I love the sweet aburaage. 🙂 I haven’t had Kitune Udon at Mitsuwa. Is it good? I should give it a try! 🙂
Dear Nami,
Thank you for this recipe. I have a cold myself, and this big bowl of kitsune udon (with homemade dashi from your recipe) has made me feel that bit better. It was delicious – what a broth! Your website is an awesome resource.
Thanks!
From the UK
Hi LG! I’m sorry to hear you’re sick. 🙁 I’m glad this recipe made you feel a bit better. Please take good care and get well soon! 🙂 Thank you for reading my blog! xoxo
Thanks for sharing this Nami! We’re inspired to try this at home too!
Hope you enjoy this dish, Sharon! 🙂
Hey, Nami. Thanks for the recipe.
I’ve recently been breaking into the Japanese food scene; this is a dish that I’d heard a lot about before, but have never made. You make it sound really easy! I’m excited to try my hand at it.
Just wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge. Hope you’re well.
Hi Ryan! It’s cool to hear you heard about udon a lot because a lot of people are into ramen these days. I want udon to be the next thing! 🙂 Kitsune Udon is very simple and light, and I hope you enjoy. I highly recommend Udon brand that’s frozen and called Sanuki udon. Texture is better than any other kinds. 🙂 . Thank you for your sweet comment!
Hi there.
Great to have found your blog. Thank you. My son is a great fan of iron noodles. And I have been trying to find the proper broth for it.
Hi Jason! Thank you for finding my blog! 🙂 Hope your son will like this broth. 🙂
Your recipe for udon broth is fantastic! So easy and I bet it’s healthier than using those packets included in the Udon package. Thanks!
Hi Linda! Thank you so much!!! Yeah I agree. The package soup includes preservatives etc so homemade is the best! 🙂
Hi…was wondering if u have a non spicy shoyu ramen recipe? I made the miso ramen last time…i love it but my hubby doesn’t like the taste of doubanjiang. Will the miso ramen taste different without the doubanjiang? Do u have any other easy to make ramen recipe as well? I wanted to make the pork bones one (tonkatsu ramen) but it seemed so difficult and process is so long….thanks very much. We are Chinese who have moved to Australia and my kids missed Japanese food especially Ramen. We can’t get even a decent bowl of ramen here (by the way we are in Adelaide)..
HI Celestine! Hmm you can decrease the amount of doubanjiang but to make a quick and easy homemade version without spending HOURS of making soup, it requires some strong flavoring like doubanjiang.
You can try my Vegetarian ramen and add meat if you like. It’s so similar to Tonkotsu broth, and adding meat (chashu and ground pork while cooking the broth) adds extra rich flavor.
You can always change to non-spicy for my shoyu ramen too. 🙂
Oh..my son loves this Kitsune Udon. I too buy this brand of udon noodles cos it’s chewy. Your udon looks just like the ones serve in Japanese restaurants.
Thank you for your kind compliment. 🙂 Glad you can buy the same udon noodles! I tried different ones, but they are the best we can find here (outside of Japan). 😀
Beautiful bowl of noodle soup.
Hi, if using inari age from a packet, do I need to heat them up in some way before adding them to the soup? I’ve never used them before, but I bought a packet recently and would really like to learn how to use them. 🙂
Hi Michelle! Nope, we don’t really heat up (but you definitely can). You would place it on top of hot noodle soup, and it will be hot immediately when you dunk it in the soup. 🙂
Love any and all noodles, and udon are particularly nice. And I’ve never met a soup I didn’t like! This looks fantastic — thanks.
Thank you, Nami! I am sensitive to MSG so I have to make everything from scratch as commercial mixes contain lots of salt and MSG. I am very thankful for your blog!
Hi Marsha! I’m so happy to hear that my recipes are helpful. Yeah, I try to avoid MSG, even though in my case, I can’t avoid 100% (curry roux, dressing, and some sauces etc that I rely on occasionally). Let me know if there is any recipe that I can help you make, which you can’t make due to MSG in it. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Your udon recipe says two servings. Should I double the amount of water that is used to soak the khombu if I want to have four to five servings of dashi?
Hi Aurora! Yes, you will need the right amount of kombu dashi for cooking. 🙂
If I make the dashi using packets, how many, and how long to steep (or simmer) to replicate this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Tom! Do you mean dashi packet (like tea bag)? You will need 2 ½ cups water and drop one bag in the water and boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and remove the packet. Hope that helps!
Good Afternoon,Nami I just finished cooking Kitsune Udon.It was delicious.Like you said it comes well together.I loved the tofu pouches.Which I found in Manhattan Japanese grocery store.I also purchased red yuzu kosho.I wanted to try this kosho as opposed to the green one.Thanks for your great website.
Hi Ramon! I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe! And you found red yuzu kosho! How did you like it compared to the green one? Thanks so much for trying this recipe! 🙂