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”
Lovely recipe. I would love to travel back home to India to visit my family…<3
I would love to travel to Italy 🇮🇹and Iceland! Closer to home, I’m excited to to go to Taos
My first traveling experience will probably to visit my family in New Hampshire! Not much of an ethnic food journey, but it would be nice to visit the coast and go to Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point ME, where they have THE BEST coconut shrimp. I miss the ocean and fresh seafood, so that’s probably where I would go first.
You inspire me! This udon noodle recipe will definitely be made this week!! Thank you for helping me learn to cook new things with ease and confidence!
This looks delicious, and FYI, made your swiss chard pancakes (using kale) for the millionth time yesterday. I would love a trip to Italy, or the Seychelles, or to anywhere with a beautiful beach and great food! Thank you for giveaway.
I would travel to Australia to visit my husband’s family! We haven’t seen them in so long due to covid and we are so looking forward to that day.
Argentina! I have been missing the flavors of Latin America a lot anc want to venture to a new part of the wonderfully diverse and beautiful continent!
This looks DELISH!!! Because I am supremely lazy when it comes to dishwashing, I am going to try making this all in the same pot – I will crack the egg in the broth to poach for the last 3 minutes, add the noodles and greens for the last 1 minute. Maybe cooking the noodles in the broth will make the broth too starchy? Worth a shot though! I will report back 🙂
Hello,
I am actually traveling home to see my mom in IL this weekend. She is entering the end of her beautiful life. I’d love to make this recipe for her. Thank you for this lovely blog.
Suzy
Looks delicious, as always. Would love to get back to Switzerland and show our kids the Christmas markets (and drink Glühwein of course! 🤣).
I would love to travel to Japan to eat everything in sight!
These recipes look so good!!
I would love to go to Sante Fe and try their New Mexico cuisine & maybe take a cooking class while I am there 🥰
Oh! I’ve been reading so much about Hetty’s new book and would love to win! We have such a long list of travel hopes—a work/stay on an Austrian farm, a visit to friends in Germany, a Scottish bothy trek—but what we’re most looking forward to, travel-wise, is receiving a visit from my father. He makes the12-hour drive to see his grandchildren every month or two, but we haven’t hugged on that man in 16 months now! Ack!
Once things open up, I will fly with my family to Seattle – we used to live there a few years ago, and we will visit our old favorite places like Pike Place Market and eat all the food we miss so much there!!
Definitely i need to try this recipe! And about where i would like to travel when i get the chance i guess that to Greece to meet one of my best friends. It was my last travel before everything started and we wanted to meet again in summer… so since it had to be postponed, I need to go back! 🙂
My first trip will be home to Maine for oysters (eaten standing in the kitchen, as fast as we can shuck them), Mast Landing beer, and coffee at Little Woodfords.
But I’m also dreaming of Beijing for Shaanxi noodles, pork/cabbage/crispy rice dumplings, and malaxiangguo (spicy numbing fragrant pot – like hot pot but without the broth)
This recipe looks delicious. Udon noodles are a favorite and I will give this a try.
I long to travel. This year of Pandemic has been strange, for sure. I wish to walk the Camino de Santiago by the Portuguese Way. I look forward to trying different foods, coffees, wines, and meeting people who are seeking peace on the trail.
This looks absolutely amazing and the recipes from this book look great!!
I would love to go to Sweden this summer to meet my sister!
No soy sauce in this! Yes! I’m plotting to move out of expensive Southern CA, so looking to travel to KY, NC & VA to find a new spot. Not as glamorous as traveling abroad, but I’m happy just to get out of the house.
This brings me back to my childhood when my mom would make udon when I was sick. Love the simplicity. I really want to travel to South Korea and eat all the amazing street food in Seoul but also have homey foods and visit the islands in Jeju!
This recipe looks delicious! The first place I want to go to, is home to Perth Western Australia to give my family and friends a huge hug and eat fish & chips on Cottesloe Beach at sunset. 💛
Hi Ali!
Thanks for always opening my mind to new ways to enjoy eating old favorites.
When things reopen safely the first place I want to travel is Granada, Spain. The Alhambra has been a lifelong love of mine!
This looks amazing! The first place I must travel to is to California to see my parents. I moved to the east coast last May, so it has been almost a year and I can’t wait for the reunion hugs! After that, I want to go to Italy or Spain with my husband for a delayed honeymoon because as a covid bride that too was pushed back. So many things to look forward to!
You are so generous, thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I will definitely be making this yummy soup.
I want to travel to Japan!
First on my travel list is Scotland 🤞🏻and then longer term, New Zealand. We canceled trips to Greece and Patagonia last year. So really getting to go ANYWHERE would be a gift right now !!! Thank you for your beautiful recipes and relaxing stories. Excited for upcoming May and June cooking classes with you too.
I would go to Japan to see my family. And Hawaii to eat shave ice!
Would love to travel to Morocco, and eat all the bread💕
My husband and I both lived in Asia (he in Japan and me in China/Hong Kong/Taiwan. We love all Asian food and have imparted that love to our two boys. I can’t wait to try this recipe with them!
I am dying to go to Portugal. We were suppose to go a few years back for a big Birthday, but sadly my Mom passed away right before the trip and we had to postpone. And then Covid happened. So once things open up again and we are vaccinated, we will head there! Italy is amazing as well and you are right, the pizza it to die for!
I’ll travel home to India not only to visit my family but also to eat all the foods my mom and mom-in-law make for me when I visit 😋
I’m so looking forward to seeing this book in person finally! Our family is moving from the States to Lithuania this summer, so maybe I’d go there as we’re eager to see our new home. But of course, anywhere sounds amazing at this point!