Nabeyaki Udon, a perfect as winter comfort food.



 To have a bowl of hot nabeyaki udon in winter is so comforting.

What is Nabeyaki Udon?

Nabe is a Japanese word that refers to hot pot.
Perhaps you may have heard the word 'donabe', which refers to claypot.



Nabeyaki udon is usually cooked and serve in clay pot.
Since I do not own Japanese clay pot (only chinese clay pot), I opt to cook my nabeyaki udon in cast iron pot.
Cast iron pot can retain heat better than my other everyday use pots.

Nabeyaki udon is basically noodles, vegetable and meat cooked in dashi or seaweed stock.
You can add tempura prawns or crack an egg into the boiling hot soup.

How to cook Nabeyaki udon?

Complete printable recipe of nabeyaki uodn, can be found at the end of this post.
However, I will explain with the photos below.

Step 1: Prepare chicken

Marinate 500g chicken thigh with soy sauce and mirin.


You can use store bought mirin or make your own.
Do note that store-bought mirin may have some sake added.
So I strongly suggest to read the label before purchasing.

How to make home made mirin?

Mix 2 tablespoon corn syrup with 2 teaspoon rice vinegar.
Adjust to your liking the sweetness and sourness.


Marinade the chicken for at least 4 hours.
Preferably and time permits, marinade the chicken overnight, will yield much better taste.

Step 2: Make Dashi

Dashi is Japanese stock made out of kombu (dried seaweed) and bonito flakes.
Dashi is the base in most Japanese food, that gives you the umami without msg!

Wash and soak dried seaweed. 


It is also known as kombu.


Making dashi is easy, cook kombu on low heat and bring to just about to boil.
Note: do not let the water comes to a rapid boil.
This will affect the flavour of the soup.


Remove kombu from pot.


Add bonito flakes and bring to boil for 5 minutes


Strain the stock and discard bonito flakes.

Step 3: Cook the chicken

Chicken or meat is normally cooked in dashi stock, together with the vegetables, in a claypot.

I am looking for a clean broth without any scums from the chicken.
I find this way is the best to have clear broth for my nabeyaki udon!


In another pot, add marinated chicken.


Add about a cup of dashi that we prepared earlier.


Remove scums as much as you can.

Dish out the chicken into a bowl and cover with plastic cling wrap.
Note: chicken will dry out if not cover immediately.

Step 4 : Vegetables for Nabeyaki udon

Soak shiitake mushrooms.


Some spring onion.
I use the white part of the spring onion. You can opt for leek.
Both will impart sweetness taste to the soup base.


Carrot to be sliced and added to the soup base.


Adding yuzu peel ia a must if you can find some!
Yuzu peel gives the soup a subtle hint of citrus and the aroma of yuzu peel is amazing!

Step 5: Preparing Nabeyaki Udon soup.

Put shiitake mushrooms, sliced carrots, spring onion and yuzu peel in a pot of dashi stock.


Add soy sauce.


Strain reserved chicken stock into the pot.


Add salt to taste.

What goes with nabeyaki udon?

I love to add enoki mushroom to my bowl of nabeyaki udon.
Note: do not cook enoki in the soup!
Pour hot soup over enoki and enjoy its sweetness.


Some slices of narutomaki or Japanese fish cakes.
I did a quick cook or dip narutomaki into the nabeyaki soup.

What I find is that, if I were to cook narutomaki together with the rest of the vegetables, it will affect its texture and taste.

You can add some baby bok choy too.




Nabeyaki Udon is best served immediately, while it is piping hot!

Other winter warmer soupy noodles on the blog

Pho Bo (Vietnamese beef noodle soup)
Laksa (Rice noodle in fish soup)
Glass noodles in oxtail stew
Noodles in creamy pumpkin soup

Video on'How to cook Nabeyaki Udon'

Posted on 17th June 2009

I love Nabeyaki Udon!
I had my first 'bite' in the Japanese Restaurant on the ground floor of Faber Tower about 15 years ago. Thought that I'll never get to taste this 'refreshing soup' ever in Perth.
Lucky me! I found the bonito (Japanese fish stock), the very essential magical powder to a good Nabeyaki Udon.
Mix the bonito with the required amount of water. Boil. Add chicken, mushroom and carrots. Once boil...let it simmer until carrot is tender. Add leek and turn off the heat. Season with light soya or salt.