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 want to travel to Mississippi to see my parents. They are both in their 80’s and I wasn’t sure they would survive a covid-19 diagnosis. Fortunately, we never had to find out and now they are fully vaccinated. I want them to meet my littlest babe who is almost two now!
I cannot wait to return to Kamakura in Japan. You travel by train from Tokyo and land by the sea, then you can walk for miles through streets filled with interesting houses and shops, lovely cafes and restaurants, giant Buddha and temples and bamboo forrests. It is green and lovely and and full of everything I love about Japan.
Japan or Thailand are on my list.
I’d love to go to Hawaii! Adventure, scenery, amazing food, and sunshine 🙂
We are headed to Alaska (from MN) this summer. I’ve never been and can’t wait!
Italy for pizza and pasta is my jam.
I can’t wait to make this, just reading about it makes me want to go to Tokyo to try the origin dish!
I want to go to the Azores where I was born and haven’t been in over 30 years. The scenery is jaw dropping: I want to stroll on the black sand beaches , hike the volcanoes, and walk through dense forests. I want to smell the briny ocean and the heady scents of threorange groves
To Belgium to see family, drink all the beer and eat all the frites!
Back to the desert that I left nearly 10 years ago. I want to eat an entire pot full of my mom’s beans with her handmade tortillas.
I’d like to go to Patagonia to revel in the wonder of nature. Spectacular mountain views, pristine lakes, and color, color, color! And eat some local food along the way.
I want to go to Maine for fresh seafood!
I want to travel to Portugal – immerse myself deeper into the culture of ceramics all over the world (I’m a ceramicist and launched my company during covid!). I want to eat the local food out of plates that were made of the local clay and understand how it all shaped the culture of each town. I want to dig in the earth and harvest fresh clay and make something that I will keep and treasure forever.
Back to Amalfi coast for the beaches… I want to just lay and watch my daughter soak in the sun and get splashed by the warm water, allora.
Finally I want to take my daughter back to Jordan to see the world that I came from and get more immersed in the middle eastern culture and food. 🧡
I want to go to Chicago to see my dad, he is battling cancer.
Not a top-tier vacation spot but Minneapolis to visit our son. Some delicious meals are always on tap with him.
This recipe looks wonderful! I want to go to Canada, specifically the provinces of Quebec and Manitoba. I’ve been doing some genealogy on my mom’s French-Canadian family and would love to see where she was born and where her ancestors had lived. It’s been a fun online “journey” to research her lineage, but now I’d like a real journey to continue my research.
We were supposed to go to Thailand! I use to complain about the 14 hour flight but now I can’t wait!!!
I definitely want to go to Korea, and return to Japan ! We were supposed to make this trip for my bf’s birthday in September but unfortunately I think we won’t be able to this year 🙁
Can’t wait to head to the PNW for some backpacking! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I want to travel to Scotland and go hiking. Not sure about the cuisine there though- I’m not a meat eater! Also would love to travel to Japan.
This looks so good! My dream it to go to Thailand. I have Thai friends and would love to travel with them in the future. I can’t wait to peak at this cookbook. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Hoping to travel to Japan to visit my brother who hasn’t been home in 18 months due to Covid. I will try ALL the noodles!
This recipe and the whole cookbook look like absolute GEMS. I can’t wait to get some udon noodles on my next grocery run to try this out!
My nephew married a girl from Croatia in December and of course the family could not travel to attend the ceremony so as soon as we safely can, we are all going to meet his new bride and experience the beauty and food of Croatia! Thank you for the chance at the giveaway!
Definately Japan! Love all things Japanese!
I’m dying to go to London and have some delicious fish and chips!
Thank you so much for posting this gorgeous GREEN recipe and how simple it can be, I love noodles and often order them but would love to have this book and venture into cooking them at home! My partner lives in Switzerland and I am in Seattle and we were not able to connect and live together last year because of the covid travel restrictions. Once I am able to travel again, I look forward to seeing him in Europe, riding the trains together, and visiting the farmers markets, bakeries and cheese shops to make our meals from and experience the local cultures. I also miss Croatia so very much, we have wonderful memories from there and I cant wait to go back and dive into that culture and cook with their fresh produce! 🙂
I can’t wait to visit Scotland and celebrate with my brother and his wife who got married during COVID! Will hop over to Italy afterward for some pasta. 🙂
My partner and I want to visit Oaxaca for the moles and tlayudas.
I love your blog. All of your recipes look and sound wonderful. We live in Hawaii—not a bad place to be during the pandemic—but are looking forward to visiting mainland siblings in June.