Kake Udon vs. Su Udon: What is the Difference?
When it comes to Japanese noodle soup using Udon, Kake Udon (かけうどん) is the easiest dish in the Kanto region around Tokyo, while the counterpart of Kake Udon is called Su Udon (素うどん) in West Japan.
Kake Udon vs. Su Udon
Both generally consist of Udon noodles in a hot bowl of soy sauce-based broth garnished with a few toppings.
But for the soup, Kake Udon tends to use dark soy sauce and bonito dashi stock, while Su Udon often uses light-colored soy sauce and kombu dashi stock.
In addition, according to the article うどん on Japanese Wikipedia, one primary difference between Kake Udon and Su Udon comes from the variety of toppings.
Specifically, for Kake Udon, toppings other than chopped green onions are rarely used.
On the other hand, in many cases, Su Udon only uses a few varieties of toppings, like Tororo Kombu seaweed flakes and thinly sliced Kamaboko fish cake.
Thus, both dishes are easy to prepare because of which stand-up Udon restaurants typically offer them as one of their standard menus.
Recipe using S&B Oden no Moto
If you can prepare the Japanese soup base mix, S&B Oden no Moto (おでんの素), you can make such simple, authentic bowls of Udon effortlessly at home.
For those curious, based on the official site of S&B, their Kake Udon/Su Udon recipe using the Oden no Moto seasoning (for two servings) is as follows.
Instructions
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Udon noodles | 2 servings |
| Water | 600 ml |
| S&B Oden no Moto | 1 bag (20 g) |
| Toppings | As you like |
- First, prepare toppings you want to put on top of the Udon, like chopped green onions and Tenkasu (天かす) Tempura bits.
- Next, boil the Udon noodles in a pot of water. Then drain the water and place the noodles in a bowl.
- Bring the S&B Oden no Moto-added water to a simmer in another pot. Then pour the broth into the bowl of Udon noodles.
- Finally, garnish the Udon with the prepared toppings, and enjoy!
