cooking / mains

From-Scratch Udon with Mushroom Dashi

serves 4 · 1 hour 10 minutes · 45 minutes (includes dough resting) hands on · medium-hard

Why This Works

Fresh udon has a completely different texture from dried — bouncy and chewy — and the dough needs only flour, salt, and water. A stiff dough plus a 30-minute rest (and the traditional step-on-it kneading method) develops the gluten that gives udon its bite. The vegan dashi gets its depth from dried shiitakes and kombu instead of bonito.

Ingredients

Handmade udon noodles:

  • All-purpose flour (2½ cups / 300 g)
  • Salt (1½ tsp)
  • Warm water (½ cup + 2 Tbsp / 150 ml)
  • Cornstarch or potato starch (for dusting)

Mushroom dashi broth:

  • Dried shiitake mushrooms (6-8, about 1 oz)
  • Kombu (1 large piece, about 4x6 inches)
  • Water (6 cups)
  • Soy sauce (3 Tbsp)
  • Mirin (2 Tbsp)
  • Rice vinegar (1 tsp)

Toppings:

  • Fresh shiitake or mixed mushrooms (8 oz, sliced)
  • Firm tofu (6 oz, sliced into rectangles)
  • Green onions (4, sliced)
  • Sesame oil (1 tsp)
  • Spinach or bok choy (2 cups)
  • Shichimi togarashi (seven-spice, optional)
  • Nori strips

Method

Phase 1 — Start the dashi (5 minutes active + soak):

  1. Combine the dried shiitakes and kombu in 6 cups cold water. Soak at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge for deeper flavor).
  2. Heat slowly over medium-low, removing the kombu just before the water boils. Simmer with the shiitakes 10 minutes, then strain.
  3. Season the broth with the soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar.

Phase 2 — Make the udon dough (15 minutes + 30 minutes rest): 4. Dissolve the salt in the warm water. Add the flour to a large bowl, pour in the salted water, mix with chopsticks until shaggy, then knead by hand 5 minutes. The dough will be stiff — this is correct. 5. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and rest 30 minutes at room temperature. 6. Kneading trick: place the dough in a zip-lock bag, step on it with your feet to knead it flat, fold, and repeat 3 times — the traditional Japanese method, and it actually works best.

Phase 3 — Roll and cut (15 minutes): 7. Dust the work surface generously with starch. Roll the dough to about 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick. 8. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, cut into ¼-inch strips with a sharp knife, then shake the noodles loose and dust with more starch.

Phase 4 — Cook and assemble (10 minutes): 9. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Cook the udon 8-10 minutes, stirring gently — chewy, not soft. 10. While the noodles cook, sauté the fresh mushrooms and tofu in sesame oil until golden. Wilt the spinach or bok choy in the hot dashi. 11. Divide the noodles among bowls, ladle the hot dashi over, and arrange the mushrooms, tofu, and greens on top. Finish with green onions, nori strips, and shichimi togarashi.

Notes

  • The dough is intentionally stiff — resist adding more water; resting relaxes the gluten.
  • Extra uncooked noodles freeze well: dust with starch, portion on a sheet pan, freeze flat, then bag.
  • Short on time? Use store-bought fresh or frozen udon and just make the dashi.