Life-Changing Udon Noodles
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If you are under the impression you need to spend hours toiling over a pot of bones to make a highly seasoned broth to then make a good bowl of noodles, you must make Hetty McKinnon’s “life-changing” udon noodles from her latest book To Asia, With Love.
The broth is made with three ingredients — vegetable stock, soy sauce, and mirin — and after it comes to a simmer, it’s done. The rest of the broth’s flavor comes from garnishes: a pat of butter, a drizzle of sesame oil, a sprinkling of scallions, a pinch of sea salt, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. The yolks of soft-boiled eggs impart the broth with a richness, and if you like a bit of spice, a spoonful of Sambal Oeleck or chili paste of choice seasons it further.
I love adding a heap of baby bok choy or other greens to make it a meal. If you like this idea, too, simply add them to the pot of boiling udon noodles, which typically cook in 1-3 minutes — the frozen udon noodles I buy cook in 1 minute, which is all the time most greens need.
Every time I make this soup, I am astounded by how quickly it comes together and by how flavorful and nourishing it is. In the intro to the recipe, Hetty writes that the recipe was inspired by a dish served at Shin Udon in Tokyo, the flavors and textures of which were “life-changing.”
About To Asia With Love
- Something I love about To Asia, With Love are the anecdotes, such as the one mentioned above. Many of the stories in TAWL are rooted in travel and discovery, which I think we all are craving right now.
- Like all of Hetty’s previous three books, To Asia, With Love is beautiful: its design, its photography, its recipes. In Hetty’s newsletter last fall, when she first shared this recipe, she described this book as her “most personal to date,” noting that it is “full of everyday Asian recipes made with simple ingredients (many of which you will already have in your pantry) along with personal stories of growing up in a Chinese household in Sydney.”
- I want to make everything in TAWL, namely the “restaurant greens”, which is my favorite thing to order at Chinese restaurants. I recently made the TAWL pad Thai salad, which was absolutely delicious (photo below). I’ll be sharing that recipe on my Instagram stories tomorrow, so follow along on Instagram if you’d like to try that recipe. I’ll keep it highlighted in my stories.
- There are two ways I keep up with Hetty: her Instagram and her newsletter. She is wonderful.
Friends! I have an extra copy of To Asia, With Love as well as a pair of TAWL chopsticks (photo below) along with some other Asian pantry treats. I’d love to give these goodies to one of you. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below. Tell me where you will travel first when you get the chance. I’m dying to go to Italy to eat pizza, England to watch soccer games, and Vietnam for noodles. Where do YOU want to go? The giveaway has been closed. The winner is: Sunny. I’ve emailed you. Thanks to all of you for your wonderful comments 💕 Love reading about where we’ll all travel next 💕
PS: Hetty’s Sushi Salad (This recipe comes from Hetty’s last book, Family, and after discovering it, I made it on repeat for weeks. It’s one of my favorites.)
How to Make Life-Changing Noodles
First, get the broth going by combining vegetable stock, soy sauce or tamari, and mirin in a pot. Bring it to a simmer.
Meanwhile, halve small heads of baby bok choy or other greens of choice.
You’ll need udon noodles (or other) noodles for this soup. I can’t recommend buying frozen udon noodles enough. They cook in 1 minute, and couldn’t be more delicious.
What your stovetop will look like: 1 pot for the noodles and greens (if using), 1 pot for the eggs, and 1 pot for the broth.
Cook the eggs for 6 minutes (for very soft boiled eggs) or 7 minutes for less runny soft-boiled eggs. Transfer to an ice bath immediately.
Cook the noodles and greens for 1 to 3 minutes.
Drain.
Transfer greens and noodles to a bowl; then pour the broth over top.
Add a knob of butter, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a handful of scallions.
Top with soft-boiled eggs. Season with sea salt and lots of pepper.
Add some chili paste if you wish.
Enjoy!
Such a good one! To Asia, With Love
This is the pad Thai salad from TAWL. Follow along on Instagram for the recipe tomorrow, April 7th.
PrintLife-Changing Udon Noodles
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
From Hetty McKinnon’s To Asia, With Love
Notes:
- Every recipe in To Asia, With Love is vegetarian. Hetty’s note from the book: To veganise this recipe, omit the eggs and use vegan butter.
- You may find you might want more of the broth (it’s so good), so just keep the ingredients handy — the veg stock, tamari or soy, and mirin. I often make a double batch of broth.
- Scale the recipe as needed. I often make a half recipe, which is perfect for Ben and me. Note: In the video, I make a half recipe, but I do not halve the amount of soy sauce — I use 2 tablespoons instead of 1.5 tablespoons. One of you noted that this made for a salty broth, so please keep this in mind if halving the recipe. Start with 1.5 tablespoons and add more salt to taste.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 800 g (1.75 lbs.) udon noodles
- 1/4 to 1/2 lb. of greens such as baby bok choy, optional
- 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 80 g (6 tbsp) butter, cubed, or to taste, see recipe
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil or to taste
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Sambal Oelek or other chili paste, optional
Instructions
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs and set the timer for 6 minutes. As soon as the buzzer goes, immediately drain the eggs into a colander and run under cold water (or transfer to an ice bath) until they are completely cold. (This will make very soft-boiled eggs – if you prefer a firmer yolk, cook them for another minute.) Peel and set aside.
- Cook the udon noodles (and greens if using) in a large saucepan of salted water according to the packet instructions until al dente. This should only take 1–3 minutes, depending on whether your noodles are fresh, vacuum-sealed, or frozen. Drain, then scoop the hot noodles (and greens) into four bowls.
- Meanwhile, combine the stock, tamari or soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan and place over low heat until hot.
- Pour the hot broth over each bowl of noodles (and greens), and top with a soft-boiled egg. Add a knob of butter and allow it to melt into the noodles. Add the scallions and scatter a generous amount of black pepper over the noodles (use as much pepper as you like, but this dish is intended to be very peppery). Finish with a little drizzle of sesame oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- If you like spicy, stir in a spoonful of Sambal Oelek or hot sauce of choice.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
378 Comments on “Life-Changing Udon Noodles”
I love all your videos and recipes!! This one I’m trying for sure 🙂 I hope I can go to Spain and visit my family and of course enjoy Spanish food
I have to try it!!!! Whtvr…When will be possible to go in another state returning to travel I want to go to Iceland with Frollino. Me, my family in a car trough the island. To see nature and Enjoy the free fresh air. For a first time is not important what to eat. For the first time in my entire Life is important the widest space. Closed by one year inside a home I want that the Sky was my only limit. And I want to make them see to my little men of heart. I want to feel The cold. See Free animals. Geyser. Bay. Small Houses with Hygge spirits. ❤️
My goodness! This was the inspiration I needed for dinner tonight. For travel—looking forward to visiting New Orleans for all the Cajun food and beignets!! <33333
Thank you Alexandra for your always lovely blog posts and sharing recipes from other talented cooks, chefs and bakers. This recipe looks so wonderful and I’ve added the ingredients to my shopping list. The book also looks so nice. Following Hetty now to see what other amazing thing she shares.
I’ve never won anything In my life.. hope this is my lucky day🥳.
I’d love to travel to Canada to meet my sister and my beautiful 6m niece. What a dream!
I’m desperate to fly to Mexico City and eat my way through every neighborhood!
Italy: explore Rome, hike in Cinque Terre (followed by fresh seafood for lunch) eat pizza in Naples.
I will love to go Italy.
To eat parmesan cheese, macaroni and lots of truffles.
Ps. And also to drink a quite quantity of Chianti wines..
Rainy day here, and I know what I’m making for dinner.
Fingers crossed right now that my son is able to study abroad in Scotland in the fall as planned and that I can take my daughter while he is there. Not for the food I admit, but someplace I’ve never been before.
This is the most satisfying and easy to throw together meal for a crisp windy day! I wasn’t able to find frozen Udon at my HMart but even one more step of prepping noodles didn’t press me- they’re still quick and easy but I will stay on the lookout for the frozen! This udon is also sure to impress based on presentation alone- love a jammy 🥚 egg! Thank you for sharing ✨
*Travel plans I cannot stop thinking about would be a 2 week tour of Japan! And of course visit with my family in Greece 🇬🇷 💓
Thanks for sharing the recipes. I will make it for sure. Once the lockdown is over I need to go back home to India as it’s over 3 years since I last visited my family. After that I want to go to Spain. It’s been on my bucketlist for a long time. Thank you for the recipes you share.
Yum! Can’t wait to try my hand at this. Our feet won’t leave the ground of the mainland continent until September when we return to our one of our favorite places, Maui. We never tire of the fresh seafood and local produce (Maui purple sweet potatoes!). We love visiting Mama’s Fish House where the menu describes the local fresh-caught fish by sharing the TIME it was caught and the name of the fisherman! Another favorite is Ko, located at the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel. Chef Tylun Pang is all about locally sourced produce
and mentoring future chefs (Honey Macadamia Nut Shrimp…Ono Butterfish…oh goodness, I’m having a hard time waiting until September but my spouse’s work schedule won’t permit anything sooner!)
I can’t wait to get back to Taiwan to visit family and eat all the food!
I can’t wait to make this recipe!! I’ve been on an Asian kick, and this one looks like a real winner. I want to go to Thailand and eat something so spicy, it will blow my face off. Not really, but it sounds good 😀
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’m always looking for maximum flavor with less time so this looks like a winner!
I hope to travel the southwest US this spring as things open back up, starting with the national parks in Utah.
I would love to travel to California just to have a Morning Bun from Semifreddi’s in Berkeley. Yum.
Paris!!! Thanks so much for this opportunity 😊❤️😊
Thank you for posting this gorgeous recipe which I will try for sure! I am looking forward to going to France (I am in the UK) to see my penfriend whom I have known since we started writing at age 14! We are both now 65!! Her dear husband died last year and I so want to give her a hug.
Can’t wait to try it. I’ve got a trip to New Orleans on the top of my list!
I’ll be traveling first to my hometown, Milwaukee, for a Friday fish fry and frozen custard — and to see my mom! Now, I’m going to get myself some mirin and make this recipe!
Try with shanso pepper! I cant wait to make this recipe. Once I can travel again I want to go to Jamaica, I used to live there as a kid and lot of cravings stem from Jamaican food but it’s so hard to recreate without the natural ingredients that come from that area.
These look awesome! Would love to experiment with the recipes in this book. Post COVID I am excited to go out west – I had to cancel a trip to Arizona and can’t wait to see the desert sky.
This looks SO GOOD, and I cannot wait to try it. Quick question–where do you source your frozen udon noodles? Always looking for that thick noodle, but have yet to find it frozen….and as far as travel—I SO want to head back to St. Simon Island, Georgia, with our new puppy in tow, who would love the beaches (before the season), and the nature walks, and that southern food which I have a hankering for right now…
Would love to go to Korea with my mom and sister! Thanks for the giveaway and this amazing recipe!
I want to go to Japan and taste all the flavors, meet the people, drink tea and see all the gardens!
This looks delicious! Putting the ingredients on my shopping list.
First place I want to travel is Colorado to visit my family, followed closely by Canada for the mountain biking, and Japan for some delicious food and art.
I love to cook veggie food for my friends and family. I feel better knowing that I am feeding everyone healthy food (vs. super rich foods that aren’t healthy)……
When I can travel again, I want to go to Singapore and Thailand to visit relatives. I really miss the delicious fruits, veggies, open air markets and gardens…….
For the long haul… I want to go to Japan and see big towns and small villages and celebrate the country, it’s traditions, and it’s delicious food. More realistically, I want to go to Chicago with my mom to finally see where she grew up after all these years.
Would love this book and excited to add more soups to me repertoire. First travel to Canada to see my daughter and then Sicily for everything!
I’ve been a fan of your recipe forever! I’m trying the soup today, it sounds great. 💜
As soon as Europeans can I’ll visit parts of my family in Texas and a good friend in New Jersey – I miss them so much. And we’ll eat tons of TexMex and watch football. 🤩
I can’t remember how I found you , but I love your recipes. The first place I want to travel to is Japan. My kids are half Japanese and they want to experience the culture. Can’t wait to take them. In the mean time , we will make your homemade udon. Thanks for the recipe!