Kake Udon vs Su Udon: The Difference and Recipe
When it comes to Japanese noodle soup using udon, “Kake Udon (かけうどん)” is the simplest dish in the Kanto region around Tokyo, while the counterpart of Kake Udon is called “Su Udon (素うどん)” in western Japan.
Kake Udon vs Su Udon
Kake Udon and Su Udon are actually almost the same things basically consisting of udon noodles in a hot bowl of soy sauce-based broth garnished with a few toppings.
But for the broth, Kake Udon tends to use dark soy sauce and bonito dashi stock, while that of Su Udon is often made with 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 also comes from the variety of toppings used in them.
For Kake Udon, toppings other than chopped green onions are rarely used.
On the other hand, in many cases, Su Udon uses only a few varieties of toppings like Tororo Kombu seaweed flakes and thinly sliced Kamaboko fish cake.
Thus, both Kake Udon and Su Udon are easy to prepare, and in Japan, they are typically offered by stand-up udon restaurants as one of their standard menus.
Recipe using S&B Oden no Moto Soup Base Mix
Actually, such simple, authentic bowls of udon can be made very quickly in each household as well, if you use the Japanese soup base mix shown above, S&B “Oden no Moto (おでんの素)” seasoning.
Based on the official website of S&B, the Kake Udon (Su Udon) recipe using the Oden no Moto seasoning mix (for 2 servings) is as follows.
Instructions
| Ingredient | 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
- Boil the udon noodles in a pot of water. Then drain the water and place the noodles in a bowl
- In another pot, bring the water and S&B Oden no Moto seasoning to a simmer. Then pour the broth into the bowl of udon noodles
- Garnish the udon with the prepared toppings and enjoy!
