Beef Udon (Niku Udon)

This beef udon noodle soup, or niku udon, is so easy to make, and it will make you feel like you went out to a Japanese restaurant—at home!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Beef, Noodles

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings:

Calories: 671kcal

Author: Sarah

4 cups water (plus more for boiling noodles; alternatively, use 4 cups prepared dashi stock)
1½ tablespoons instant dashi powder (if not using prepared dashi stock)
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced)
8 ounces very thinly sliced beef (fatty beef chuck or ribeye for hot pot/shabu shabu)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons mirin (divided)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (divided)
1 teaspoons oyster sauce
14 ounces fresh or frozen udon noodles (or 7 ounces dried udon noodles)
2 scallions (finely chopped)

Prepare your dashi stock by bringing 4 cups of water to a simmer in a medium pot and adding the dashi powder. Keep covered at a low simmer. If using prepared dashi stock, you may need to add salt to taste. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the noodles.
Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and cook the sliced onions for about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the beef and sugar, and cook until the beef is slightly browned. Add 1 tablespoon mirin, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, the oyster sauce, and ½ cup of the dashi stock. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes to reduce the stock to a thin sauce.
Meanwhile, to the remaining dashi stock in the pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon mirin and ½ tablespoon soy sauce. Add the noodles to the boiling water, and cook according to package instructions. Divide the noodles and dashi stock amongst 2 bowls. Top each bowl with half of the beef mixture and scallions. Serve immediately.