My Oxtail Udon recipe combines chewy Japanese wheat noodles, tender fall-off-the-bone beef, and aromatic crunchy garlic chips in a hearty broth. This steaming hot bowl of noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food during cold weather or any time of year!
Oxtail Udon (テールスープうどん) is not a common Japanese dish, but a few years ago, my JOC teammate, Naomi, told me about this super delicious udon noodle soup she loved at Kemuri Japanese Baru in Redwood City, CA. As a big fan of oxtail, Mr. JOC wanted to try this new (then) restaurant.
We were sold on the first taste of the oxtail broth, so we have been back many times to order their “Ox-tail Udon”. We absolutely love the rich flavor! So you know that meant I just had to make my own version at home! Now we could enjoy the dish anytime, especially on cold winter days. This oxtail udon recipe was created after being inspired by the restaurant’s version.
Making “Oxtail Dashi”
When you hear Oxtail Udon, you might think that just means putting udon noodles in oxtail broth. That would work, but it wouldn’t make it “Japanese”.
To make Japanese-style udon stock, you will need to combine my oxtail broth recipe with dashi to achieve that umami packed flavor that makes Japanese soup so delicious. There are many types of dashi in Japan, but for this recipe, it’s best to use the simple Katsuo Dashi made with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
What to Do with Oxtail Meat & Bones?
To me, the star of this dish is oxtail – sorry udon, it’s not you this time. Hence, I put the big chunk of oxtail in my serving bowl or the donabe (Japanese clay pot).
However, not everyone is a huge fan of big chunks of bones in your bowl. If that’s the case, you can debone first and serve those tender oxtail meat chunks on top of the udon noodles.
How to Serve Oxtail Udon
Toppings
Greens: At the Kemuri Japanese Baru restaurant, their “Ox-tail Udon” is topped with a large serving of the Japanese greens, Mizuna. Mizuna is the best, but you can put any greens in this udon noodle soup, like bok choy or spinach. I opted for simple chopped green onions to keep it simple and showcase the oxtail for the blog images.
Fried Garlic Chips: I do recommend adding fried garlic chips to the oxtail udon. Whenever I go back to Japan, my aunt usually gives Mr. JOC his favorite fried garlic chips that are homemade at this teppanyaki restaurant that used to be owned by my late grandfather. These garlic chips are made from these huge heads of garlic grown in Aomori Prefecture. They’re perfect for frying!
Oxtail Udon Serving Dish
Use your biggest serving bowl that can fit udon noodles AND the big chunks of meat. If you have a single serving donabe or any-size donabe (How to use donabe?), it’s also fun to scoop out individual portions at the table as shown in the pictures here.
Doesn’t that just warm you up looking at that bowl of hearty oxtail udon? It’s a great weekend recipe to spend quality time in the kitchen, and enjoy for lunch and dinner!
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Oxtail Udon
Ingredients
- Homemade Oxtail Broth and Meat (make my Pressure Cooker Oxtail Broth recipe first, preferably a day in advance; you will use 1 entire batch of it to make this Oxtail Udon)
- 4 servings udon noodles (2.2 lb/1 kg frozen or parboiled udon noodles; 13 oz/360 g dry udon noodles)
- 3 green onions/scallions
- fried garlic chips (See Step 1 below or my tutorial on how to make garlic chips)
- chili oil with crunchy garlic (optional; you can buy it on Amazon or make my Taberu Rayu recipe)
For the Katsuo Dashi
- 2 cups water
- 1½ cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (packed)
For the Seasonings
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce (to taste)
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp white pepper powder
Instructions
- For the homemade Fried Garlic Chips: Use the large cloves from a head of garlic. Peel and thinly slice them widthwise and remove the green core. You can omit this step; however, the core will come out easily while frying and burn quickly, which will darken the oil color. Therefore, if you have time, I recommend removing it. Add oil to a frying pan over medium-low heat. While the oil is still cold, add the garlic slices and slowly fry them until golden brown. Dry them on a paper towel. Once cool, store them in an airtight container. Transfer the garlic-infused oil to a small jar to use in other recipes.
- Gather all the ingredients. Please note that you will need to cook my Oxtail Broth and Meat recipe first. Put the oxtail broth in a large stockpot (transfer from your Instant Pot if making on the same day). Reheat the broth and keep it on low simmer. Skim if necessary.
- Add 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add 1½ cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
- Lower the heat and keep on low simmer for 10–15 seconds and turn off the heat. Set aside to steep for 10–15 minutes.
- Strain the liquid over a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl/measuring cup. You now have katsuo dashi.
- Add the katsuo dashi into the oxtail broth. Now you have oxtail katsuo dashi.
- Add 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and ⅛ tsp white pepper powder. Taste the soup and see if you need to adjust the seasoning. Keep it on a low simmer until you’re ready to serve.
- Chop 3 green onions/scallions. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the udon noodles. My favorite udon is the frozen Sanuki Udon. Cook 4 servings udon noodles (frozen) in boiling water for 1 minute (no need to defrost). If you use dry noodles, follow the package instructions.
- Pick up the udon noodles and transfer to the individual serving bowls or donabe. Add the Homemade Oxtail Broth and Meat. Top the udon with chopped green onions and the fried garlic chips. If you like it spicy, add your favorite chili oil with crunchy garlic or hot sauce.
To Store
- You can keep the leftover soup in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. Cook the noodles right before serving.
Hi! Do you think ramen noodles would pair nicely with this broth as well?
Hello, Jane. Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
Yes! Ramen noodles would also work well. We hope you enjoy this rice-flavored soup. Happy cooking!
SOOO GOOOD !!! Thank you so much for an easy and delicious recipe. Keep up the good work! JOC has become my “go-to” resource for meal ideas. Happy Cooking 😃
Hi Karen! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Oxtail Udon, and JOC is your “go-to” resource for meal ideas! 🥰
Hi Nami,
I LOVE Kemuri and their oxtail udon is one of my favorite dishes, in fact, I just had it last night! I am very excited to try your recipe. Do you know where I can get Inaniwa udon? I prefer this thinner noodle.
Hi Monique! So happy to hear you like Kemuri too! Inaniwa Udon – have you checked Nijiya? I saw these Inaniwa noodles online:
https://midoriyanyc.com/products/hand-rolled-inaniwa-udon-7-05oz-200g?variant=32760784519245
https://www.mercato.com/shop/katagiri-japanese-grocery-east-59th-st?keywords=inaniwa
Thanks for this recipe! Kemuri also has a spicy version of this soup. Would you happen to know what they might use to make it spicy?
Hi Brandon! Thank you for your kind words! I think they use Layu… Japanese chili oil, but homemade version?
Hi. I bought some mizuna from Marukai today. Should I cook it in the broth first or Just add it raw on top of the finished udon? Thanks. Looking forward to a comforting bowl of oxtail udon 😋
Hi Karen! Mizuna can be eaten raw (as a salad). If you add to the hot soup, it gets nicely wilted so I would suggest not to cook it. 🙂 For small kids and elder people, it is nice to blanch quickly. 🙂
Thank you. I really like the different texture (crunch) that the mizuna added to the udon. The broth was very gelatinous after refrigeration. So delicious. I did have to add more soy sauce and salt though,…could be my dashi was too weak because I used a packaged satchel kind from Marukai. Overall, a very comforting dinner on a cold night. By the way, Uzumakiya Udon Izakaya in Cupertino also has oxtail udon. I have not tried it (nor the one at Kemuri) though, so can’t offer any comparisons. Thanks again for the quick reply and a yummy easy InstantPot recipe 😃
Hi Karen! Thank you for your kind feedback! If I get a chance, I’ll try the restaurant in Cupertino! 🙂
Awesome! i love the oxtail udon from Kemuri too! I am going to make it tonight. Oxtail soup already chilling in the fridge for me to skim the fat when i get home.
Hi Tiff! You love Kemuri’s oxtail udon!!! YESSS! I hope you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Thanks for this recipe. Living in Miami makes it easy to find cheap and good quality oxtail everywhere as it’s a staple in lots of Caribbean cuisine. I followed this recipe and LOVED the smell of the oxtails as the pressure released. The flavor is definitely different than a simple dashi udon base but I still missed the slight sweetness I expect with an udon soup. I found that adding a little less than half cup of mirin with a tiny bit more soy sauce gave this that flavor profile I personally desired. I’m definitely keeping this recipe. I can already think of so many ways to use this nourishing base. Thanks for sharing such fantastic recipes Nami!
Hi M! Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and was able to adjust as you like. 🙂 Make Japanese beef curry with oxtail broth. So delicious!!!
I would like to make your instant pot oxtail broth for oxtail udon.
I do not have an instant pot.
How can I make the broth on my stove or slow cooker?
Thank you.
Hi Ann! Do you have a stovetop pressure cooker? If so, instruction on pressure cooking part is same. If you don’t have a pressure cooker at all, then you have to slow cook (either stovetop or slow cooker) and just take your time to make delicious broth. 🙂
OMG so gonna try this! I love oxtail and I love udon…never have I thought of putting the 2 together. Thank you so much!!!
Hi Janet! Hope you enjoy! Dashi and oxtail combination is delicious!
Hi! I made the oxtail noodle soup today and it’s fabulous! I used a crockpot to cook the oxtail for 5 hours and they came out with the right tenderness for my 2 year old son. My husband who sometimes find beef broth too beefy in flavor for him likes it. So this noodle soup will be something i’ll make from time to time! : )
I do have one question though. I made the garlic chip as instructed and they turned out just like those in your picture. But I find them bitter. They add a good fragrant to the soup but I discarded them after they give out their flavor to the soup. So it makes me wonder if I should just add the garlic oil instead of the garlic chips next time.
So is there something wrong with my cooking method that makes the garlic chip bitter? (I took out the green shoots like you adviced). Or are they supposed to be bitter?
Thanks!
Saulai
Hi Saulai! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed this noodle soup! Sure, you can use garlic oil or add more garlic to cook oxtail soup. The restaurant that I got inspired served garlic chips, which is why I wanted to add. I don’t feel the garlic is bitter, but if they got too tasty, a bit darker brown, it’s possible the bitter tastes come from there – just like dark brown toasts gets bitter than lightly toasted toast… what do you think? Wish I can help. Also I’m not too sure if types of garlic make it different.
Hi, for the garlic chips it helps to lightly dust them w/ flour & let the flour absorb the moisture. Then fry as the recipe instructed. I use them a lot and i learned the trick from a garlic chips vendor here. If it’s bitter it means it got slightly burnt. Adjust your stove too, it should crisp up not burn. If your garlic has lots of moisture in it, it would burn easily. Hope that helps.
Hi Ima! Thank you for sharing your tip!! I’m sure other JOC readers appreciate this. 🙂