In this episode: UDON noodles adventure: Tokyo to Sakuni
Created & Produced by: John Daub
ONLY in JAPAN
Ah, a steaming bowl of UDON noodles.
These thick wheat noodles comes in so many varieties!
It's a great meal any time of the day, and in Japan it's so popular that you'll find it everywhere.
In the super market, next to the instant Ramen,
you've also got UDON.
Here's a cup UDON
The noodles are a little thicker, and the soup different than Ramen
UDON can be bought frozen
or fresh, in the refrigerated area, next to the Tofu
there are so many styles to choose from!
Everyone has their own preference.
But where does the best UDON comes from?
Let's take a trip to the UDON country.
The best UDON comes from SHIKOKU island
in a prefecture on the North: KAGAWA
Here lies the SANUKI region where some of the country's best wheat is grown.
The capital city is TAKAMATSU
and you can't dismiss their love for noodles
You are greeted by them, right at the airport!
My first stop is in ZENTSUJI CITY, famous for the square watermelon...
and this place which makes handmade noodles, fresh, every day.
MIYAGAWA SEIMENSHO
Starting at the crack of dawn,
the wheat, water and salt are mixed and rolled.
UDON Ingredients: wheat, water, salt
MIYAGAWA has been making the UDON for decades
The thickness of the noodles is ruled by instinct. (Udon thickness 4 to 6 mm)
It's then cut...
...the machines do it fast...
...every noodle even.
You can see that is cut thick.
It's floured again, so it doesn't stick and then stored.
Or boiled right away, depending on demand.
The store only closes, when all the noodles are sold out.
Now it's time to try a bowl for breakfast, on a hot summer day.
It's all self-served, which is the system all throughout KAGAWA
Grab a big one, for more noodles, if you're hungry
....take it to the kitchen...
where you'll get a healthy serving of fresh UDON directly from the Chef
We're not done, yet.
You can warm them up, if you like.
This helps to bring up the flavors of the noodles.
Put the noodles in there. For 5 seconds.
Do like this --- and for 5 seconds.
1 - 2
3
4
5 seconds!
Soup!
Now the soup:
Udon soup it's fish based and salty
MIYAGAWA has a big cauldron. So, help yourself.
All right...
There really is fish in there!
What is dashi?
Fish soup stock made from KOMBU (sea kelp), KATSUOBUSHI (dried skipjack Tuna). It is the base for miso soup and takoyaki sauce!
And add some fish, too.
Let's take a few.
MIYAGAWA UDON DASHI has IDIKO, or sardines.
Wow!
Take as many as you like.
or just a few.
Ok, now soup CHECK!
Ok.
Right! First try the UDON a little like this.
Then you can add tempura.
Yes!
Now that you got a bowl of basic UDON and soup,
grab a seat.
So she told me that first, I should try to drink it...
and...
if you want more flavor, go back, and get the toppings that you want
That make sense!
That make sense...
Salty!...
Salty.
You can taste the DASHI, the fish soup.
And a little bit of the noodles...
the weed and that...
Yeah, it needs more
Ok, one fried tofu.
Put it on like this, right?
We're back, the next part is a lot of fun.
Then perhaps a half boiled egg.
Picking your favorite TEMPURA.
But the most popular is "chikuwa".
CHIKUWA?
It's not an easy decision.
Ah, but that half boiled egg looks so darn good!
It's really good!
Ahhhhhhh!
You really are lost, aren't you?
Ahhh, should I go for the
half boiled egg
or the CHIKUWA
which is the deep fried
fish... fish stick
Yeah!
Well, let's go with the half boiled egg this time.
Tomorrow, I'll go for the chikuwa.
Yes.
So, when do I pay?
Pay after eating.
Perfect!
Thank you very much!
With a little NEGI
It looks like a full sized meal now.
Look at that half boiled egg!
I'll get to that soon.
This place is great, you just walk in, you pick the bowl that you want
based on the size, how many noodle helpings
one, two or three...
You go to the cauldron,
where he's got all the noodles freshly made,
he puts it in there,
you decide if you want hot or cold,
by boiling it yourself,
then you pick your own toppings
Just like, twenty of them!
And then you eat it in a place like this
and the price is very affordable.
This is like UDON paradise.
But how about the taste???
Only one way to find out!
Many people have told me that the noodles are firmer than in Tokyo.
Yeah...
Compared to Tokyo, the noodles are a little bit...umm...harder.
More rubbery.
Which is goooood!
Very good!
UDON is much thicker than the Ramen noodles
usually cut 4 to 6 mm thick.
While Ramen noodles are yellowish in color from
other ingredients, like eggs.
UDON is simple wheat flour, salt and water.
The soup or broth, well that's a different story.
It's DASHI: fish based, but of course, here lies each soup's secret
The taste must match the noodles.
Eh, it's fish!
But wait! I hope you haven't forgot about Hanjuku Tempura Tamago
That half boiled egg is all mine!
Soft and delicious.
Is something just really so good about Hanjuku Tamago - half boiled eggs
The shop is almost always packed with locals who know about the secret location
at lunchtime, the line goes out the door
People devouring their bowls
Sometimes in less than three minutes
The fun is taking what you want
and constructing your own perfect bowl of UDON
When the tables and chairs are full
Eaters head to the benches outside
get there early and have your own table.
You have to find your own spot to sit.
It's first come, first served
Miyagawa-san is constantly hard, at work
But she took a few minutes to sit with me
to talk about her delicious UDON noodles
How many years have you been working at this shop?
This shop? 40 years.
40 years!
Wow!
You're making udon every day?
Yes, every day.
Why is Miyagawa Udon so delicious?
The water is pure here and...
the shop's old lady is a real beauty!
That's right! Beautiful!
The water and...
well, the wheat is pretty much the same everywhere...
The water and...
and because of love!
You put love into it.
That's right! LOVE!LOVE!
So that's Zentsuji or Sanuki's way...
Right.
Sanuki Udon has a lot of love in it.
HOW TO EAT UDON PROPERLY
You're doing it wrong!
Is the way to eat Udon like Ramen?
No. You taste Udon with your throat.
It's not that we don't bite it.
people in Kagawa do not bite or chew so much.
We don't eat it one by one slowly, but
we just let it through our throats.
(Drink it)
It's really like that! Customers eat so fast!
And then they leave fast.
So fast! "One stop traffic light!"
(Eat within one traffic light cycle)
From when a light turns green,
you make, eat, pay and leave!
"Single One!" (One Traffic Light)
So the customers are lining up outside, but
there's always a seat opening up inside.
That's right!
Not making the customers wait
is my husband's policy - or motto.
So things move fast.
A lot of the success of the Udon is the speed of the turn over
in which the customers come,
eat,
leave
and they are always coming.
Why is udon so popular?
For people of Kagawa, they can eat
all meals with udon.
Even for an appetizer and dessert!
That is how much we like udon.
Wait! So you eat udon everyday?
Yes. Every day.
Wow! Breakfast, lunch and dinner, too?
Maybe not dinner, but at least once a day.
What does Udon mean to you?
Udon?
I don't know how much longer I can do this work
but as long as I can
I will protect what my husband's parents have made.
That is what I have done and I will continue doing so.
So now your family is...
That's right. Is a family business.
We don't know if our daughter will take over
but she has seen us work like I saw my parents
So I hope she will understand
even if we don't tell her.
I'm going to protect that tradition.
So the recipe hasn't changed in a long time...
That's right!
The same recipe.
So people come here after 30 years and say,
"Oh, this is the taste I wanted."
That is what I like to hear.
A simple food like Udon, always has a great history
and Miyagawa-san's udon goes back generations.
A few towns away is UDON IPPUKU
Ranked number one by many Japanese food websites
I came here to find out what makes it so popular
This self-served udon shop is simple to figure out
Grab a tray
Decide what type of Udon you want
hot or cold
and the size you want
Tell the cook your udon order
and it will come fresh to you
This machine dries and adds air to the noodles enhancing its taste
Add some soup and.... voilà!
While you wait for the noodles
you have time to decide
which delicious TEMPURA you want
Here it's always coming hot from the fryer
Lunch usually costs less than 500 ¥
A bowl starting under 200 ¥
At peak hours finding a seat can be hard
But people leave fast and a spot always opens up
There it is BUKKAKE UDON
Served cold
My two choices for Tempura: Chikuwa and Onion & Wiener
Udon in this area is firm and springy
Mochi like, but also rubbery
It will fill you up, for sure!
HOT & COLD: KAKE Udon ~ HOT BUKKAKE Udon ~ COLD
IPPUKU had some flakes of seaweed into the batter
Adding a nice touch to their TEMPURA
This onion and mini hot dog tempura is a store speciality
You won't find it in Tokyo
When you finish, bus your own table.
Take your tray to the washing area
Throw your chopsticks and trash in the appropriate bin
Easy!
I asked the owner, WATANABI-san, about his Udon and why the shop isn't open for dinner.
Udon isn't eaten for dinner ( in Kagawa)
People go out drinking?
Go out drinking, or have rice at home.
A lot of people are farmers who also make rice
so they have rice at home, of course.
A while ago,
wheat was everywhere in Kagawa.
Kagawa has less rain than elsewhere,
with a lot of wheat --- and also salt.
So the combination of wheat and salt
was what made Udon.
We serve it just made,
and by the process of pounding it,
it gives a Mochi like texture
So that's what makes it good.
Fresh?
Just made and served right away.
Udon is a breakfast and lunch food
which leaves rice for dinner
But in Tokyo is different
IPPUKU has a satellite Udon shop here
open until 8:00 P.M.
It's quite stylish inside.
Rather than self served, customers order by vending machines like Ramen
And this is a bowl of Sanuki Udon here in Tokyo
You know, it's a little bit different then what you'll find out in KAGAWA prefecture, in Sanuki, but
it's really cool that you have a chance to eat it here
Udon in Tokyo is not as firm, but it's still really good and much healthier than Ramen.
The Best Udon Chain Shop in Japan
In Tokyo and nation wide, is a chain called MARUGAME SEIMEN . It's self seved, just like in Kagawa.
The menu is pretty big.
And the prices...are perfect!
Under 300 ¥ for most regular sized bowls
My favorites are: the KAMATAMA UDON
CURRY UDON
and MEAT UDON
with an ONSEN TAMAGO, of course.
It's so cheap
that you can sometimes afford
to buy more than one bowl.
Why not go for all your favorites?
UDON ( 3 Small / ~600g.) ¥ 1270
So, whether you enjoy Udon in Kagawa
or a big bowl in Tokyo
take a break from Ramen
and visit an Udon shop
for a freshly made bowl.
With a side of Tempura
you may just like it
more than Ramen.
Next time: SHINJUKU FOOD ALLEY: OMOIDE YOKOCHO
For a trip down memory lane.
A historic food paradise