Uchikomi-Jiru (Fresh Noodle Miso Soup)

Quick answer

Total time: 70 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Uchikomi-jiru is a Kagawa winter noodle soup in which unsalted fresh noodles made only from wheat flour and water are cooked directly in miso broth rather than boiled separately.

While the dough rests, daikon, carrot, burdock, taro, and fried tofu are cut and simmered first in dried-sardine stock. The dough is rolled and cut slightly thicker than ordinary udon, then dropped into the boiling soup for 7 to 8 minutes. Flour clinging to the raw noodles disperses into the pot and gives the broth its characteristic body. Medium miso is dissolved only after the noodle centers are cooked, and green onion completes the dish. Unlike handmade udon served for special occasions, this was a quick everyday evening meal in rural areas during cold winters. Kagawa's dry climate suited wheat production, while anchovies from the Seto Inland Sea supplied the stock.

Ingredients (5 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
medium-strength wheat flour	300	g
water for the dough	160	ml
daikon radish	300	g
carrot	100	g
burdock root	100	g
taro	150	g
fried tofu pouch	1	sheet
green onion	20	g
medium miso	100	g
dried-sardine stock	7	cup

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Control

Make a well in the flour and add the dough water gradually, mixing quickly by hand.

Knead until no dry flour remains and the dough forms one mass, then cover and rest it while preparing the vegetables.
2

Prep

Cut the daikon, carrot, and fried tofu into thin strips 4 to 5 cm long.

Shave the burdock into thin pieces, peel and cut the taro into bite-size chunks, and cut the green onion into 2 cm lengths.
3

Control

Pour the dried-sardine stock into a large pot and add the daikon, carrot, burdock, taro, and fried tofu.

Bring to a boil, lower to medium heat, and simmer until a chopstick can enter the taro about halfway.
4

Finish

Reserve a small pinch from the measured flour and dust it over the board.

Roll the rested dough evenly and cut it into noodles slightly thicker than ordinary udon, then separate them lightly so they do not stick.
5

Control

Shake off the fresh noodles and add them directly to the boiling vegetable soup.

Do not pre-boil or rinse them. Stir gently only during the first minute to prevent sticking, then simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until no raw-flour taste remains in the centers.
6

Control

When both noodles and taro are tender, dissolve the medium miso in a ladle of broth and return it to the pot.

Bring to a gentle simmer to distribute the seasoning, add the green onion, and divide into five bowls as soon as it comes back to a boil.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Unsalted fresh noodles are made only from flour and water and rested during vegetable prep.
Finish cue: When both noodles and taro are tender, dissolve the medium miso in a ladle of broth and return it to the pot.
Avoid this: Do not pre-boil or rinse the fresh noodles.
Substitution: Loosen the fresh noodles as they enter the pot instead of dropping them in one clump.