Osaka Kitsune Udon (Thick Noodles with Sweet Fried Tofu in Dashi)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Kitsune udon is Osaka's signature noodle bowl, defined by sweet simmered fried tofu draped over thick wheat noodles in a clear dashi broth.
Read more
The broth is drawn from kombu and bonito flakes, then seasoned with light soy sauce in the Kansai tradition, pale in color but layered with umami. The aburaage tofu is simmered separately in a mixture of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar until it swells with sweet braising liquid, and each bite releases a burst of that concentrated sweetness into the bowl. Thick, chewy udon noodles sit in the steaming broth, their mild wheat flavor providing a neutral base for the delicate soup. Sliced green onion scattered on top adds freshness and a gentle bite. In Osaka, kitsune udon is eaten at all hours, as a quick breakfast before work, a light lunch, or a late-night bowl after drinks, and every neighborhood udon shop holds its own variation on the sweet tofu recipe passed down through the years.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Pour 900ml water into a pot with 10g kombu and heat gently over low heat.
Remove the kombu just before boiling, add 15g bonito flakes, steep for 2 minutes, and strain to yield 800ml clear dashi.
- 2Control
Place 4 aburaage on a rack and pour boiling water over them to remove excess surface oil.
Removing the oil allows the simmering liquid to penetrate cleanly.
- 3Control
Combine 200ml dashi, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, and 2 tbsp sugar in a pot and bring to a boil.
Add the aburaage and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until almost all the braising liquid is absorbed.
- 4Season
Season the remaining 600ml dashi with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp mirin to make the udon broth.
Bring to a boil, taste, and adjust seasoning.
- 5Heat
Cook 400g udon according to package directions, rinse under cold water, then place in serving bowls and pour the hot broth over them.
- 6Control
Place the simmered aburaage on top of the broth and sprinkle with 1 thinly sliced scallion.
The dish is at its best when the aburaage softens slightly in the hot broth.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Osaka Kitsune Udon floats sweet simmered aburaage in a pale Kansai dashi seasoned with light soy, not dark.
- Finish cue
- Place the simmered aburaage on top of the broth and sprinkle with 1 thinly sliced scallion.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
30min, 8 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 233 recipes
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