In the May issue of Food & Wine magazine, Hetty McKinnon (cookbook and food writer) tells the story of her visit to Tokyo and how a simple bowl of udon became life-changing. The noodles were toothsome, served with a perfectly cooked jammy egg, green onions and a bit of flavorful broth. It was served with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper scattered over the top which paired perfectly with the udon. After reading the article, I was determined to prepare this noodle dish. Now, more than a month has gone by and I’ve made it at least three times, and every bowl has been as delightful as the last.
Sun Noodle sells fresh udon at Island Grocery market in Kahului. I will go out of my way to pick up a package of their excellent udon and ramen even if they are the only items I’ll buy that day.
I just love eggs, especially ones with soft yolks. The eggs I made for this dish are boiled for exactly six minutes and 50 seconds. They are quickly transferred to an ice bath to stop the cooking. You can use them as is, or make soy sauce eggs if you have extra time. Either way, the egg turns out perfectly with jammy centers and fully cooked whites.
It’s such a simple recipe with easy to find ingredients. The baby bok choy adds color and crunch, but it is optional. Don’t skip the green onions, egg, and pepper. Sometimes I will sprinkle shichimi togarashi pepper over the noodles to add a bit of spice to the dish. This recipe does not have a lot of broth. If you prefer more, increase that part of the recipe. However, I find that there is just enough to keep the udon hot, and the soup gets slurped up when the bowl is empty of noodles.
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- 1½ pounds (24 ounces) fresh udon noodles
- 4 tablespoons Buttery Sticks, divided (or regular unsalted butter)
- ½ cup finely sliced green onions, green and white tender stems
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- flaky sea salt for the eggs
- shichimi togarashi Japanese pepper, optional
- Fill a small saucepan with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Gently lower eggs into boiling water. Set timer for 6 minutes and 50 seconds. Once water returns to boiling, lower the heat slightly to maintain a gentle boil. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice water. Once the eggs have cooked, transfer to the ice water bath immediately. Let cool for a few minutes before peeling.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, stir together the vegetable stock, soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan. Cook over low, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 6 minutes. Add noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain noodles, and divide evenly among 4 bowls.
- Pour hot soy sauce broth over each bowl of noodles. Add a tablespoon of butter to each bowl and allow to melt into the noodles and broth. Halve the eggs and top each bowl with 2 egg halves. Sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt and black pepper over the eggs. Add the green onions and scatter a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper over the noodles. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil before serving. Serve with shichimi togarashi pepper (optional).