Thank you everyone for leaving your kind comment on my husband’s restaurant review post yesterday. He was very happy to read everyone’s comments. I sensed that I probably get to eat some nice meal pretty soon (so he can write another review on this blog!).
Although I survived my weekend trip with family, the sore throat that I developed since Friday got worse and I felt quite sick on Monday. When you get sick in the US, it seems like chicken noodle soup or warm tea and honey are the most common remedy. In Japan, we have similar practice but we eat Rice Porridge (Okayu) or udon noodle soup. Even though I’ve been here in the US for close to 15 years (oh my, time flies!), my body remembers what would make me feel better when I’m weak. So I cooked this Kitsune Udon.
Kitsune Udon literary means Fox Udon in Japanese. What a silly name right? The name came from the the folktale that fox enjoys aburaage (deep-fried tofu, and it’s the main topping for this noodle).
This udon broth is made from scratch instead of using the packets that comes with the udon package. The Japanese use dashi stock to cook many dishes. Typical dashi stock is made from dried bonito flakes and kombu seaweed (there is a vegetarian Kombu Dashi as well) and it’s the key ingredient for making good Japanese food.
Some people use Hondashi powder for convenience (you can even buy it in American stores now) but I highly recommend you to make dashi stock from scratch or use this convenient dashi packet at a Japanese grocery store nearby for better broth (and MSG free). The dashi packet method I used today is not as authentic as making dashi stock from scratch but it’s easy and close enough to the authentic taste.
Thanks to the comfort from eating udon noodle soup, I feel much better now!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups dashi stock or 4 cups water + 1 dashi packet
- 2 servings of udon (I like "sanuki" udon*)
- 2 servings of Inari Age, cut in half
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. mirin
- 2 tsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Narutomaki (fish cake), thinly sliced
- Blanched spinach, chopped
- Green onions, chopped
Instructions:
- In a medium pot, make dashi stock. For a quick dashi stock, you can add water and a dashi packet and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 7 minutes. Discard the dashi packet.
- Add the seasonings and wait till simmer.
- Meanwhile, open udon packages and loosen up udon by running warm water. This is not necessary, you can just loosen udon in soup in next step.
- Add (cool or frozen) udon in the simmering soup and cook for 3-5 minutes (frozen one takes a little more time).
- Serve udon and soup in a bowl and top with Inari Age and additional toppings of your choice.
Notes
* Some brand of udon breaks up too easily even if you gently touch it, like this brand I used. I always buy a frozen "Sanuki" udon from Asian/Japanese supermarket. The texture of Sanuki udon is much better than this udon, which I bought from an local supermarket.
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
{ 134 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t eat udon at 10 AM, but I would like to
Haha Giulia, you are funny. It’s almost 1:40am here and I can eat it. LOL.
This Udon looks delicious and hot! Its always better to have what makes you feel better special in times you feel sick.
Thank you Matthew!
I hope you feel better. That soup should definitely help
Thank you Maris. Now my family is sick. >_< I hope you are well.
This bowl of soup udon is just perfect for a sick patient like me…. Love the angle you captured
Thanks Ellena! We’re both sick…. Hope you will get well soon!
I love Japanese cuisine!
I can eat udon and sashimi at any time, anywhere.
Hi Fresh Garden! Thank you! It always make me smile when someone says he/she loves Japanese food.
I hope you recover soon!!! This soup looks like it is the perfect remedy! I have never eaten udon, but it sounds so inviting! I also love your picture and the way you styled the dish! It looks lovely <3!!!!
Thank you Manu! Now my family is sick. How awful… I think I got it from my son, but…now it looks like I gave it to 3 of them. >_< Italian has all sorts of pasta, so I'm sure udon belongs to some kind of category in Italian pasta (LOL). Thank you for your comment!
Thank you so much for sharing! I love the authenticity of all of your dishes. I have a tendency to “americanize” just about everything I cook at home. But you make this look so easy, I’m thinking I might be able to recreate it *fingers crossed*.
Get well soon.
Thank you Kate! I have been here (in the US) for 15 years, and I hope people in Japan will call my dish still “authentic”. But I don’t really cook fusion food because I’m not creative enough…and I’ve been cooking Japanese food for a long time, so it should be authentic enough (although some ingredients may be replaced by something similar I can get here).
Nami, I having sore throat too since last week, so I need this kind of comfort udon soup too, hehehe. But I need to make dashi from scratch as i don’t like the dashi pack that I bought as too much of msg added. Hope I am able to find the pack you recommended. Ya, do you know how to home made the fish cake? Here selling very expensive at the shop. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sonia! You too? SF has been cold lately and I think people are getting sick here.
I don’t like MSG one too, especially we drink miso soup almost everyday. So I use this brand that I show. When I have time I make dashi by myself, but I don’t want to discourage everyone by asking them to follow such a tedious task. LOL. Hmmm I have never made fish cake by myself… it’s pretty cheap here (under $3 maybe) and I don’t always use it because it’s processed…. And homemade seems too much work for “just” fish cake you know. You have to cook something after that with the fish cake and I just don’t have that time…. Hope you will feel better Sonia!
And…congratulations on the preschool graduation! Adorable.
Haha thanks!!!
I just made kitsune udon too but it was because it was a rainy day and we were staying indoors. hope you are feeling better!
Thank you Kat! It’s rainy day here too. And my family is sick now. I am glad I bought more frozen packs of udon.
I have been craving for curry udon lately…
I hope you get feeling better soon Nami. Theres nothing better than soup when your sick : ) Im just loving learning about the Japanese food culture. Im so glad I found your blog! : )
Hi Holly! Thank you for your kind word.
I’m glad I’m showing you some Japanese home cooking. Surely there are more than Sushi and Teriyaki Chicken, or Tempura. 
Nami, Your kitsune udon looks like a delicious, home remedy to practically everything! (I have never tasted inariage!!!). You are of course right with dashi. The more I discover the Japanese cuisine, the more I realise how few recipes are possible to realise without dashi (Oyakodon I have recently made was one more good example).
Take care of yourself!
I really hope you feel better now! It’s funny, since I have always thought in the US people heal throat ache with ice-cream
Hi Sissi! I’m so happy someone knows what I’m talking about. Dashi is the key, and we use it for almost everything (right?). In fact, my dashi packet is a “joke”. But with my daily busy life, I just have to do what I can to keep cooking. So I think this option is still okay compared to the powder option. Some people pay very expensive money for Katsuobushi and shave as they use… I wish I have time and money but oh well we don’t have that kind of luxury…. I’m still a bit sick, but now whole family is sick… I’m going to be busy taking care of them. You made me laugh about ice-cream. I wish it is true.
Thank you for your kind comment Sissi!
Udon is one of my FAVORITE noodles! This soup looks comforting and delicious. I REALLY hope you feel better soon! Sending you positive energy!
Hi Tiffany! Thanks for your positive energy. Actually I always get your energy when I visit your blog. I thought you should know that.
Yummy! I did something similar yesterday and I must confess that udon is becoming my go to food for when I don’t feel in top shape…. Of course my version is more like a weird mix of substitute ingredients that more or less end up tasting like a Japanese soup….
Haha! Don’t worry you won’t improve my Italian food or Japapized Italian food.
We put shredded seaweed on top and it’s soy sauce and dashi based flavor. I have to cook one day and show you. 
OMG, I just visited your blog! When I was reading your comment, I didn’t expect you posted it. Yayyyy! So happy!! Now I really need to show you Japanese pasta! I’ll be working on it.
Hi Nami,
I would choose your udon over any chicken soup anytime, because it looks very delicious. This is the first time I have visited your site and I feel like a little kid in a toy store admiring everything that I see. Your website is amazingly beautiful. More success to you.
Ray
Hi Ray! Thank you so much for visiting my site.
No no, it’s actually my pleasure finding your site!
Now this looks like a good and authentic soup Nami! I love udon noodles, and this sounds like my family would enjoy it very much. We love homemade ramen soup and eat it few time a week, sometimes even every day:) but I will look for dashi in a Asian store, I want to taste it
thank you for sharing and hopefully you are feeling better now!!!!:)
Hi Sandra! Thanks for your comment! I know you cook ramen a lot for your kids. I hope you find dashi. It’s the soup base for miso soup (before adding miso) and it’s very simple and non-oil, which is healthy.
Aww, so sorry about the sore throat! Glad you were able to make yummy soup for it
Thank you Allie! Now my whole family is sick.
I have to check your blog to see if your BF liked the giant burger cake! 
One of Ryan’s favorite! Hoping to try this soon…
Thanks Tina! I hope Ryan likes it.
I am new to the site and like it very much. My husband is Japanese and loves when I do some home cooking. This is one of our daughter’s favorite meals, but I cheat and use Memmi to make the broth instead of dashi.
Hope you feel better. I am going to look around and read your recipes.
Hi Joley! Thank you for stopping by my website.
It’s good that your husband likes your home cooking meal! I used to use memmi/mentsuyu long time ago, but I feel like it’s too salty and not my favorite kind of soup and why I’m even using this… so I started to study how to make the soup and came to this conclusion. Since then I use this recipe all the time. I realized it’s nice to make soup from scratch so everyone who has typical Japanese condiments can make it from scratch, instead of buying mentsuyu. Thank you for your sweet word, but my whole family became sick now. >_< I hope you enjoy reading my recipes. Thanks again for visiting!!
For me too, a cup of chicken soup or masala chai do the trick.I m so in love with the concept of noodles , meat & veggies in a broth..nothing like it..its so good for the body too coz its light.Infact we always discuss in India that chinese & japanese cusines are so figure friendly as compared to our creamy curries
Is that a white fish cake or radish with a swirl that I see? its looking beautiful!
P.S.- If you drink tea I think you try indian spiced tea your throat will feel better
Hi Tanvi! What’s “masara” chai? I’m not sure if I mentioned in your blog before, but I drink chai every single day. Sometimes twice a day. I have an Indian neighbor who lives 2 houses down and we became good friends. She taught me how to make a simple chai, and ever since I’m making it in the morning and afternoon. Another friend also taught me how, but that one takes longer time (she just use milk no water), so I’m just making simple one. I have to say I’m addicted with cardamom smell. My friend mentioned the same thing about “figure” but I tell her there is an exception (me) who doesn’t belong. I rather want to live with good Indian food.
p.s. The fish cake is called Narutomaki. And we usually put it in noodles like udon and ramen. 
Nami, I can’t believe you are still blogging and cooking while under the weather! Take care of yourself. Though I am very glad you shared this recipe, it looks simple to make and very comforting! Hope you feel better very soon!
Hi Cindy! Haha, I took that picture 2 weeks ago (now you can tell how often this noodle is served at our lunch table). Thank you for your sweet word but now whole family is sick… we need to get better soon! Hope you are well. Houston is probably warm that you guys must be enjoying the sun!
Aww you poor thing! Yes Houston is getting VERY HOT and almost unbearable, but what am I whining about? Not like the high temperature and humidity is a surprise, after all we’ve lives here for more than 20 years… Well you take care, hope everyone recovers from the cold very soon!
Thanks Cindy! I still remember when my mom told me when I was in high school how huge the Huston airport was… I wish I get to visit there one day (not because of the airport, but to see you. LOL!).
I need to make udon again soon…!! All your fault, Nami
!! I’ve always enjoyed eating udon noodle soup though. Very near to my house there’s a Japanese restaurant specialising on sushi, but it also offers homemade udon noodle soups with aburaage. I love it! My favourite topping is still prawn tempura, but from time to time aburaage is fine too, especially when I don’t have to cook it myself 
. Now, you mention aburaage, I think I should make inarizushi with aburaage next time because I don’t like the ready made canned inari tofu pouches, too sweet for my palate. Is it actually possible to make inarizushi with aburaage? If yes, I would try to find out where I can buy it…!
Hi CG! Because of my “udon lover” daughter I cook udon a lot. When I ask her what she wants to eat for lunch, she goes “udon please”. I shouldn’t even ask. LOL. Oh yes, shrimp tempura is my son’s favorite and it’s yummy… I’m too lazy to deep fry just for udon, so I usually order that at a restaurant. I know what you mean about store-bought inariage being so sweet. You can also reheat inariage in a pot by adding dashi/water and adjust the taste. But then what’s the point of taking a short cut, huh. =P Yes, we make Inariage from scratch too. Have you seen flat aburaage? Chinese use thick square deep fried tofu, but we use this thin one to put in miso soup or make Inariage. When you cut in half you can put stuff in it… oh I have a picture of it. I’ll add link here (you see we can just lift tofu and stuff inside?): http://justonecookbook.com/blog1/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Taiwanese-Hot-Pot-Homemade-Meatballs-5.jpg
Looking at that bowl of udon makes me feel good. Luckily, this time, all the ingredients are available in my nearby Oriental supermarket. Yeyy! Hope it made you feel better, Nami.
Hi Adora! Thank you for your kind word. I made my whole family sick now…right before 3-day weekend! >_< Your picture of udon (and pork) on facebook totally inspired me to cook udon on the same day.
Hi Nami, hope you’re recovered by now.
For our family, we took plain soupy porridge or just the soup from the plain porridge (will keep you full too) when we’re sick.
So that’s a dashi packet! I saw that before but couldn’t understand Japanese, not sure what is it for, ended up didn’t buy.. but now I know! LOL
This kitsune-udon is definitely good for warming the body! Tks for sharing!
Hi Lyn! Well, it’s more like I spread the sickness to my family. >_< Now my family is sick too. I never liked porridge growing up. It was too plain for me. Although we usually eat when we get sick, I noticed Chinese eat at any time and they serve even at dim sum too. I think Chinese one tastes better. So now you know the Dashi Packet. So far I haven't seen dashi packet written in English, so I am glad the picture of it helped.
Hi Nami! Wish you & your family a speedy recovery! I’m sure all of you will coz there’s a caring lady, mommy & wifey in the house making sure everyone is fit and healthy.
Yes, we can eat porridge anytime of the day. The porridge that they serve at dim sum is the Cantonese porridge which has more flavor as they use chicken/ dried scallop stock (depending on the restaurants’ chefs) to cook their porridge on low heat, keep stirring until thickens just like paste.
Another type is the Teochew plain porridge(the soupy porridge I mentioned) & Fish Porridge. The cooking method is easier and faster. For the plain one, you just need to add more water to the rice, not much stirring involved, just boil till rice cook and it’s done. As for the Fish porridge, actually they’re using plain rice and just need to pour hot fish soup on the rice.
Yes! All your pictures do help alot! Especially those us who don’t understand Japanese wordings.
Hi Lyn! Thank you for your kind and sweet word. Well, despite my hard work, my kids are still sick.
I’m getting better but I’m feeling the age – it takes a long time to get better… My mother-in-law brings dried scallop from Taiwan and I have it in the fridge. I should make more flavorful porridge next time. Thanks for your sweet comments!
Hi Nami! Sorry to hear that
Maybe you and your kids can try taking more Vit C and according to my bro-in-law, it’s clinically proven that 100Plus, the isotonic drink does helps when you fall sick. I do give it to my girls when the weather is too humid or when they’ve got fever and I find it does helps a bit.
Wish you and your kids speedy recovery.
Thanks for your recommendation. We are taking vitamin supplement on daily basis too. I’m not familiar with isotonic drink, but will check into that. It’s so hard to be sick for this long. Thanks Lyn!
You’re most welcome Nami.
Glad you feel better. To me tea with honey is the best remedy for a sour throat but I would take your soup any day..it looks so inviting and delicious..
lovely pictures and wonderful styling Nami
Hi Sawsan! Thank you for your kind comment.
I’m doing okay although I’m not 100% recovered but I made the rest of my family sick. I’m drinking tea with honey as well. Your strawberry crumbles would make me happy and fully recovered…j/k.
That would be a perfect dish to clear the head and soothe the throat. I really like the simplicity of your recipes. Even folks inexperienced with Japanese cooking can follow along. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Hi Mary! Thank you for your kind words!
Traditional Japanese food is usually very simple and we enjoy the taste of ingredients….but there are also heavy food like Tonkatsu and Tempura… I enjoy your blog Mary. I don’t know how you can keep up posting so often. I’m admired of you!
I hope you feel better soon, Nami! I know this beautiful bowl of noodles and broth will help! I hope I can find a dashi packet so I can try this lovely dish
Thank you Liz! I hope you find a dashi packet too, but if you can’t find it, there is always an option of dashi powder where you can probably find in American supermarket Asian section (if your supermarket has such a section).
Oh No!!! You nedd to rest now ; ) San Jose is really cold today makes me think about having Ramen. Yes, I’m not that crazy about Udon, but I LOVE Ramen! Take it easy, Nami-chan!
Hi Mika-san! It’s cold here too. It starts to have sun but very windy and cold… Feel like eating pho now.
This sounds like Japanese comfort food.
Japanese food/cuisine is so tasty! I love just about everything that I have ever tried.
Thanks Kate! It’s always nice to hear compliments about your own country’s food.
This dish is beautiful and looks so delicious!! Great job as always
Thank you Kara!!
Nami your picture is making me crave Udon! I hope you are feeling better… I missed your husbands post yesterday so I have to go check it out too. I love that he is getting involved and enjoying this with you. So nice!
Thanks Lindsey! Haha he just told me he bought a Ad Hoc cookbook and he is excited to cook. Then he said he wants to be a guest post on JOC…..hmmm I wonder if he got addicted to write a post. LOL.
So sorry that you weren’t feeling well for your lovely weekend away. Great that you are feeling better now though. Your Kitsune Udon looks incredible and easy to see why it made you feel better.
Mandy
Thank you Mandy! I was so excited with the weekend away so I managed okay. LOL. Plus it wasn’t too bad until Monday morning. I am slowly recovering, but now my family got sick from me. Moms can’t get sick and take care of everyone… I hope you and your family are well.
Oh, no… I’m sorry you got sick but glad you’re feeling better. This kitsune udon sounds like a perfect way to soothe your throat.
Thanks Sheri! Yes, warm noodle soup made me feel better.
I love udon soup and this recipe is so simple but looks amazing! And I can totally relate to being in a foreign country and trying to recreate the flavors of home. I find myself doing that quite often. Comfort food is just what we know!
Hi Katherine! I know it’s sometimes hard to be away from home, and only thing that make you feel close to home is eating food that you grow up with. Thank you for your kind comment Katherine!
Sorry to hear U got sick… Get well soon hopefully..
btw, I love this udon.. and you presented it nicely…^,^
Thank you for your kind comment!
I am sorry to hear you were sick! Glad you’re better… So sorry I missed reading your husband’s post… I need to go check that out! This Udon dish looks fabulous! I remember eating something that looked like this in Singapore, but I don’t remember if it was Udon. I wish we could get Japanese ingredients where I live
I’m really craving this right now… Sigh! Thanks for the great post!
Thanks Marsha! I made my family sick! >_< Oh well… hopefully we'll all get better and enjoy the 3 day weekend this weekend. I know it is sometimes very hard to find Japanese ingredients. I used to live in different city in SF Bay Area, and even in the same area, it was so difficult to cook Japanese food because I had to drive far to get ingredients… I met a lot of foodie friends in Singapore after blogging, and it seems like there are LOTS of good places to eat there. Thanks for your kind message Marsha!
I like the way you have presented it, looks very attractive.
Thanks Ayeesha!
Dashi stock in Jap cuisine is like chicken stock in Chinese cuisine
I did not know kitsune udon means fox udon – what an interesting background story to the udon.
Hi Tigerfish! Yes it is. Kitsune = fox. And folktale says fox loves aburaage (deep fried tofu). And do you know the other kind of famous udon? It’s Tanuki Udon. This udon has the deep fried tempura crumbs on top. Tanuki means racoon. Now I need to Google to see why it is called so! Even I don’t know why… LOL.
Hope you feel better already my dear. I had a bad flu for 2 weeks but recovered now. The weather here is super hot and it is killing! Your bowl of Kitsune Udon looks so comforting and delicious and I am sure my Quay Lo will flip if I make this for him because he LOVES udon. Oh I agree with you 100% that the soup will taste more authentic to make the udon broth from scratch.
Hi Quay Po! Thank you so much! Oh my you were down for 2 weeks with flu! It’s so hard to be sick as a mom because you have so much to do around the house and take care of family. I hope Quay Lo will like it!
You know udon is one of my favorites. This is the ultimate comfort yummy bowl of deliciousness.
Thanks Belinda! I grew up eating more curry udon than kitsune udon actually, because after we eat curry, the next day lunch was curry udon. Thanks for your kind comment!
hey! i just came across your blog – it’s great!
Thanks Emma for visiting my site!
Nami, I hope you feel better soon. I love udon soup. This looks so yummy. We are definitely a chicken soup remedy family. It always seems to work wonders, though I wouldnt mind trying this soup next time, even if Im not feeling sick!
Thanks Beth! Chinese use chicken soup as remedy too. I don’t know why it’s not common in Japanese food culture… We eat this kind of udon all the time, mainly for lunch though. Thanks for your kind word.
Hi! nami last week i’m also seek
. but now well .Sorry to hear u got sick… Get well soon hopefully..
I like ur udon dish .. and u done nicely.
Hi Daksha! How are you feeling now? Are you fully recovered? I got my husband and kids sick as well…. Thanks for your sweet comment.
Nami-Your Udon soup is so incredible, I would much prefer this delicious soup to any kind of soup. So inviting, and comforting:D
Thank you Elizabeth!
Oh I really hope you’re feeling better Nami! I’m sure this soup really helped =)
Thanks Peggy!! Haha yes it made me warm and feel good.
Thanks Kristen! Unfortunately I still have it but I’m thankful I don’t have fever.
Hope you feel better soon! If anything’ll health you up, I’m sure this soup will…I love that you topped the udon with fish cake. My fave…
Hi Celia! Thank you for your kind words. You like fish cake? This narutomaki is cute one right? Even one or few slices add some character.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Hi Lin Ann! Really, a popsicle for sore throat! It sounds like soothing! If I was kid I would pretend to have sore throat for sure!! LOL. Thank you for your kind word.
Feel better soon. We and your family want you to be at 100%!
Thank you Sandra! Yes, mom has to be strong!
Hope you feel better
Love your recipe and pictures are awesome as always 
Thank you Suzana!
Great soup. Great blog.
Thank you Rosemary!
Thank you Alisha! I’m a bit better. Thank you for your kind words.
Hello!
I recently discovered your blog when I googled goma ae recipe.
I am Japanese living in Australia since I was 5. I grew up eating my mum’s Japanese cooking and she is known in the community for being a great cook.
I love cooking but only made western food.
Although I love my mother’s Japanese cooking, I never cooked Japanese myself as I cannot read Japanese and the Japanese cook books available were so obviously nit genuine so I never bothered.
UNTIL I FOUND YOUR BLOG!!!!!!
I absolutely love ur recipes! They are consise, creative and traditional and very very genuine. I end up making a dish I never thought was possible by anyone other than my mum and I have ur recipes to thank.
Your blog is now on top of my bookmarked pages and I wanted to thank you for making my culinary experience more exciting and bringing my past into the present through food.
Thank you!
Hi Kae! Your comment made my day… It’s passed 2am and I am just so happy reading your comment!!
Thank you so much for leaving a comment here so that I know who is actually reading my blog. 
You are lucky to have a mom who’s a great cook! I started my blog so that my kids who were born here in the US can cook Japanese food one day… I was typing my recipes in Japanese first, then I realized my kids may not be able to read what I was writing! So I started to translate my recipes into English. I’m very happy that people in the world besides my family and friends can use my recipes. Thank you again!
Oh and PS guess what’s for dinner tonight…!? Yup kitsune udon!!!!!
My mum used to give me her homemade dashi-soup in a bottle (in an isho-bin for sake) every winter so I can just dump the noodles in… Now, I’m making my own
But still need to turn to her for some “ten-kasu” he he!
Yes! You made Kitsune Udon!
I’m so happy you made it. I hope you liked the taste of the soup. I used to make just whatever, but after I started to measure, I spent some time adjusting the taste. So far I’m happy with this taste…. It all varies depends on dashi etc, but I hope you liked it! Thank you again for letting me know! I’m so happy! Your mom makes homemade tenkasu? Wow, you really should learn all the cooking from her! 
I just left you a comment before the PS one…but must have been a glitch and didnt post!!!! Anyway i just saying how I love cooking but I never cooked Japanese as I can’t read Japanese and the english ones were just not genuine enough. My mum is known in the community for her cooking so I never tried to make Japanese food…. It all just seemed too hard!!! But after discovering your blog I am loving Japanese cooking and wanted to thank you for your exciting, traditional and very genuine recipes!!!!! I look to you every time and with success!!! I made the pork and eggplant roll yesterday with goma ae and loved it!!!!!!!!!
So thank you again for bringing me back my childhood in my own kitchen!
Kae, I’m sorry. Your comment was in my Spam folder so that’s why it didn’t appear on the comment section. You made Gomaae and eggplant roll too? Waaa I’m so happy!
I hope you enjoy my recipes, and let me know if you have specific recipe you want to try. I’ll think about it. 
I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. I hope this kitsune udon will nurse you back to healthy. I normally eat porridge but this light and delicious bowl of noodles look very comforting as well. Another dish that I can think of that will be good is ocha zuke.
I will have to look for this dashi packet again. I think I have only used it once but I can’t remember where I bought it. It makes a very clear dashi.
Get well soon, Nami! Big hugs to you…Biren
Hi Biren! I hate to be sick. And I feel like it’s taking much longer time to recover compared to a few years ago. Definitely age, right? My kids are still sick although hubby recovered quickly. Hmmm… at least one person can feed us when we become worse. LOL. Ocha zuke! Biren, we can talk about food forever. I used to eat Ochazuke a lot when I was in school, but ended up gaining weight from eating rice late at night. Hehehe. I buy mine for…$3 something… It’s more expensive than hondashi (dashi powder) but tastes MUCH better. I use dashi all the time so it’s a must for me. I make dashi from scratch sometimes (sooometimes) but not worth the time and effort with 2 crazy kids around. Yes, I’ll need to get better soon… Thank you so much for your kind word Biren. Big hugs back to you.
What are these little white blossom-shaped things with the pink spiral you used for topping? They look beautiful!
Hi Kath! This called Narutomaki. I have a picture of the package in Pantry page: http://justonecookbook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Naruto.jpg
We put this fish cake for ramen and udon noodle soup. We have the opposite color (white spiral with pink base) as well.
Check it out at your nearby Asian market. 
hope you are feeling better nami! this looks perfect for a sick day.. but if only your hubby would to cook not you! *hugs* take care!
Thank you Daphne! Unfortunately my kids and I are still sick wasting this sunny long weekend we have… I’ve been eating this kind of simple food and now I’m craving for something more flavorful. LOL. Thanks for your sweet and kind words Daphne! Big hugs back to you.
Hi Nami, I just discovered your blog today and am loving it. All your food looks so yummy. My family loves udon noodle soup. I live in SF too!! Can you tell me which store I can find the dashi packets at? I’ve seen other dashi packets but they all contain MSG. Does Ranch 99 sell them? thanks.
Hi Elaina! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I’m so happy you like my little space here.
I go to Marina (another Chinese market) in San Mateo and they have more variety of Japanese products since the lady who stocks the shelves is Japanese. I used to go to Ranch 99 but their Japanese products are more “American Japanese brand”…so I stopped going there. Therefore, I’m not sure if you can find dashi packet in Ranch 99… Another choice if you live in the city is Nijiya in Japan Town. Hondashi etc has MSG so I try to avoid too. I hope you can find it. You can always make it from scratch (I have the page for How To Make Dashijiru)…but it is more time consuming. 
Hope this helps, and if not, please feel free to write me back!
I was reading your curry udon post and had to click on the link back to this recipe. I love inarisushi so I knew that a soup garnished with the tofu skins would probably be delicious as well. I just have to find a source for the fish cakes.
Oh I love Kitsune udon! It’s my favorite udon ever. I haven’t had any that tastes like the type I had in Okinawa. I might try your way and see if it taste the same. Plus it looks wonderful!
Hi Akane! I hope you like the recipe.
thank you for the information on dashi stock. i will look for the dashi packet at my local store.
I made this last night with the second dashi I got after making dashi for the tonjiru. It was wonderful! Just like the soup served in good Japanese restaurants back in Singapore! You’re a genius, Nami! Thanks for sharing your culinary skills with us!
Udon soup is quite easy to make and you can add your favorite toppings. It’s nice to be able to cook at home since it’s more economical, too. Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This dish looks really delicious. I can’t wait to cook this udon dish. I read the legend before and found it wonderful.
Hi Chris! Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this recipe.
Hi Nami,
I’m going to attempt to make this for my family (who are all recovering from colds) sometime this week. I was just wondering why you prefer using dashi over hondashi, I could only find hondashi at my local japanese store. Also they didn’t have any inariage, just aburaage but I’m told this isn’t a problem.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Joseph! Hondashi vs homemade is same theory as bouillon cube vs homemade chicken/vegetable broth. It tastes much better when you make soup from homemade dashi. It takes time to make homemade, so when you are sick or busy, I think it’s convenient and healthier to use hondashi and make this noodle at home than eating out or taking out food. I have nothing against hondashi but if you ask me which tastes better, definitely homemade version. No chemical in it and pure simple flavor.
I am planning to share homemade inari age recipe. Maybe when I can finish editing and writing I can post how to make inari age this week. I use Aburaage and it’s so delicious! I will do my best to finish!
Hope your family will recover from colds soon.
Thanks for the quick reply! I understand the difference now. I already bought hondashi but next time I will use your how to make Dashi guide. I definitely saw some Kombu at the store so I don’t need to worry about finding that. Would you say there’s a big difference in taste between Awase Dashi and Kombu Dashi?
I look forward to the inari age recipe, I’ll probably have the cold by the end of the week so I’ll need some Udon Soup
I wrote a little bit about the difference between awase dashi and kombu dashi in this post:
http://justonecookbook.com/blog/how-to/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
Awase dashi has smoked bonito flakes (katsuobushi) in it, so it has really good smoky flavor. I like it a lot and use awase dashi for most of my dishes unless I mention. It has stronger flavor than kombu – kombu can be too subtle for some dishes that has strong seasonings.
Hope this helps.
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