Udon Know How Good it is

From the depths of Tik Tok and Instagram, food trends make their way from videos to my kids’ dinner requests. From Gochuchang to Udon to Cheesy ramen (I have yet to try this one), I am happy to indulge some of their more fun requests. I love trying new foods, trying out new techniques, and finding ways to connect with the kiddos over food (my love language).

Last week, I had to make a quick grocery stop and we ended up in the international aisle at the grocery store. Udon made it into the cart. We have made it before, but more of a fried preparation than soup. This time, soup was requested. That meant, I got to use my big bowls. Side note – I want to make all of our meals in large white shallow bowls that are almost plates. I ate at a restaurant with these a few years ago and since then, all of our food tastes SO much better in these. I swear! UPDATE – I have found big ramen bowls that are even cooler for udon. More meals will be made in these.

Anyways, I managed to root through the fridge to find vegetables needing to be used. A cheap and easy protein (eggs), and some odds and ends that seemed udon-appropriate (Gyozas can be a topping, right?!). I had some instant miso soup packs, which meant easy broth and toppings. It was honestly a total fluke of a winner. My soft-boiling egg skills leave something to be desired, but one of these years I’ll get to that… In spite of the more hard-than-soft boiled eggs, these udon bowls were great. They were teenager approved, an easy meal, and will be added to the rotation!

I will definitely be playing around with these and trying new ingredients. Some things I might try the next time I am making an udon bowl (including the toppings pictured below):

Miso broth
Chili garlic paste
Sesame seeds
Sesame oil
Green onions
Cucumber
Julienne carrots
Soft-boiled eggs
Meat (if you like that kind of thing)
Nori
Pickled red onion
Smoked tofu
Extra firm crispy tofu
Edamame
Radish

I have no experience with udon, nor do I claim to have any background with the culture of these delicious noodles, but I do appreciate their great flavour and texture. I will be playing around with this staple ingredient that is so easy to put into a soup.

According to the package directions, they just require some boiling to loosen up the noodles. Then add them to some broth (of your choosing) and add toppings. I might even try an udon buffet dinner, which would be really fun. I love seeing how meals turn out when we can all just add what we want and everyone has different combinations and favourites.

I will report back if I find any new and exciting toppings! In the meantime, I will bask in the fact that my kids are eating dinner without complaint. I would love suggestions on additional toppings too!