Next in my Japanese Summer Noodle series is Hiyashi Tanuki Udon. This refreshing chilled dish is full of chewy udon noodles paired with the crunch of tenkasu, or tempura bits.
What is udon?
Udon are thick Japanese wheat noodles. They are bouncy and chewy and are actually my favorite noodle of all time. Udon is considered comfort food in Japan and while it is often served in a hot broth (tsuyu), it can be served cold as well as stir-fried!
What is Tanuki Udon?
Tanuki Udon is an udon dish that includes tenkasu, or tempura bits, as a topping. This adds a nice crunchy texture against the chewy udon. The word “tanuki” refers to the animal, Japanese racoon-dogs, but don’t worry, no tanuki were harmed in the process! It’s supposed to be named as a pair to Kitsune Udon, which is named after kitsune, or foxes, and has deep-fried tofu in it.
Tanuki Udon is often served hot but it’s also delicious and refreshing served cold on hot days! “Hiyashi” in the dish name refers to this being the chilled version.
Of course, the most necessary topping is tenkasu, but there are many other toppings you can include in your Hiyashi Tanuki Udon:
- cucumber
- wakame
- tomatoes
- onsen egg
- hardboiled egg
- green onions
- nori (dried seaweed)
- grated daikon radish
Like many Japanese chilled noodle dishes, or hot udon, Hiyashi Tanuki Udon is extremely quick and easy to make. You can use premade tsuyu (broth) which makes it even easier but it’s also very simple to make your own tsuyu at home.
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Hiyashi Tanuki Udon (Chilled Udon) / 冷やしたぬきうどん
Ingredients
- 2 servings udon noodles fresh, frozen, or dry
- water for boiling
Tsuyu Ingredients
- 2.5 cups dashi
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2.5 tbsp soy sauce
Toppings
- 1 onsen egg or soft-boiled egg
- cucumber julienned
- tomato cut into slices
- wakame
Instructions
Tsuyu (broth)
- In a small pot on medium high heat, combine all of the broth ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Boil for several minutes and remove from heat. Put into a container and leave it to come to room temperature and then put it in the fridge to chill.
Udon
- In a pot of boiling water, add udon noodles and cook according to package instructions.
- Once cooked, run the udon noodles under cold water to chill. Alternatively, you can also put the noodles into an ice bath to chill.
- Put the udon into a bowl.
- Add the toppings on top of the noodles.
- Pour the chilled tsuyu over everything, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Shop this post:
Celadon Mino Ware Bowl
Wakame (Seaweed) / わかめ
Udon Noodles / うどん
Tenkasu (Tempura Bits) / 天かす
Soy Sauce / 醬油
Mirin / みりん
Dashi / だし
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