Curry Udon

INGREDIENTS

• ½ onion (5.7 oz, 162 g)
• 2 green onions/scallions (for garnish)
• 1 Tbsp neutral oil
• 6 oz thinly sliced pork loin (cut into bite-sized pieces; you can substitute your choice of protein)
• 1 Tbsp sake
• 3 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
• 2 cubes Japanese curry roux (2 oz, 50 g; or make homemade Japanese Curry Roux)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 servings udon noodles (1.1 lb, 500 g frozen or parboiled udon noodles; 6.3 oz, 180 g dry udon noodles)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Gather all the ingredients. Break the boxed roux into cubes and use 2 cubes Japanese curry roux (keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator/freezer for 1–3 months). Prepare 3 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) using your preferred method.
2. Thinly slice ½ onion and 2 green onions/scallions. Set aside the green onions for garnish.
3. Preheat a medium pot or Dutch oven (I used a 2.75 QT Staub) over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Next, add the onion slices.
4. Sauté the onion slices for 2–3 minutes. Then, add 6 oz thinly sliced pork loin that you‘ve cut into bite-sized pieces.
5. Cook the meat until it‘s barely pink. Next, add 1 Tbsp sake.
6. Add the dashi to the pot and cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes.
7. When simmering, skim off the scum and fat from the stock with a fine-mesh skimmer and continue to cook.
8. Meanwhile, start boiling a large pot of water for the udon.
9. After 5 minutes of simmering the stock and meat, turn off the heat. Next, put a cube of curry roux in a ladleful of hot stock.
10. With chopsticks or a spoon, dissolve the roux cube completely in the ladle, then release it to the soup. Repeat with the next cube. Tip: You don‘t want to eat a chunk of undissolved curry roux, so take your time to dissolve it completely.
11. Add 2 tsp soy sauce and mix well. Turn off the heat and cover with the lid to keep it warm.
12. When the water is boiling, cook 2 servings udon noodles according to the package instructions (for this Sanuki udon, I heated the frozen noodles in boiling water for 1 minute).

To Serve

1. Drain the noodles and divide into two bowls. Pour the curry soup over the udon noodles. Top with the green onions and serve immediately.

To Store

1. Keep the leftover curry soup in a glass airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours and reheat in a pot. I recommend cooking the udon noodles just before serving.