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Udon noodles

Pasta, noodles & bread · Noodles

Udon noodles

Thick, white Japanese wheat noodles with a soft, bouncy chew; sold fresh, frozen or dried.

Also called: udon, somen

A kind of noodles

6 recipes with it

Photo: Kropsoq, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Udon are thick noodles made from wheat flour, water and salt, white and round or flat. Frozen udon is prized for its springy bite; dried udon is thinner and firmer. Somen, which shares this record, are very thin wheat noodles usually served cold. Udon are thicker and softer than ramen, which are alkaline and yellow.

How it’s used

  • Kake and kitsune udon in dashi broth
  • Yaki udon stir-fry
  • Curry udon
  • Cold zaru udon or somen with dipping sauce
  • Hot pots (nabe)

Characteristics

Texture
Soft, thick and chewy.
When cooked
Frozen udon needs only a minute in boiling water; rinse dried udon after cooking to remove surface starch.
Sold as
frozen, fresh, dried
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling, Suitable for frying
Common in
Japanese, Korean

Storage

Pantry-stable. Dried udon in the pantry; vacuum-packed fresh udon follows the pack date; frozen udon keeps for months.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains wheat and gluten; unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
356 kcal
Protein
11.35 g
Carbohydrate
74.1 g
Fat
0.81 g
Fibre
4.3 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Noodles, japanese, somen, dry (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Egg noodles — Thick egg noodles work in stir-fries; less soft.

Related ingredients

Recipes with udon noodles

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