Kitsune Udon(きつねうどん)

Kitsune Udon is a simple and traditional Japanese food. It is thick noodles, Udon, with dashi broth and some toppings.

Nowadays, Udon is known by so many people around the world. If you are looking for Udon recipes, this classic Udon recipe is perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner!

What is Udon?

Udon is a type of Japanese noodle. It has been eaten all over Japan for a long time as a simple food. It is kneaded flour cut into thick, long noodles and is eaten with dashi soup or cooked with some ingredients.

Many restaurants offer Udon on their menu or you can also find instant Udon at convenience stores or grocery stores in Japan.

What is Kitsune Udon

Kitsune Udon is one of most classic ways of preparing Udon. Kitsune means ‘fox’ in Japanese. There are some theories for why it is called ‘Kitsune’ Udon.

One is Aburaage, deep-fried tofu pouch, is one of the fox’s favorite foods in folktales. The other is Aburaage looks similar to a fox. A long time ago, one Udon restaurant served Udon with Aburaage and a customer mentioned it reminded them of a fox.

Where and How is Kitsune Udon born

It is said that Kitsune Udon is originally from Osaka. One restaurant in particular has said it invented Kitsune Udon. The restaurant is うさみ亭マツバヤ(Usamitei Matsubaya) in Osaka and it has been serving Udon for over 120 years!

What is the difference between Kitsune and Tanuki

It is always controversial whether you prefer Kitsune or Tanuki(raccoon dog) style Udon.

Tanuki : It is said that the name tanuki comes from ‘tane nuki’ which is tenkasu without fillings.

Many Japanese, including myself for a few years, think Udon with Aburaage is Kitsune, and soba with Aburaage is Tanuki. However, which name you use actually depends on the locals.

Kansai area (south-western of Japan)

• Kitsune : Udon with Aburaage
• Tanuki : Soba with Aburaage

Kantou area (Tokyo region)

• Kitsune : Udon or Soba with Aburaage
• Tanuki : Udon or Soba with Tenkasu

It is interesting, isn’t it?

The popular Instant Udon I recommend!

If you want to try Instant Udon that needs only hot water and waiting for a couple of minutes, I recommend you use instant Udon!

• Maruchan
• Annie Chun’s

They are good. If you want to be lazy or don’t want to cook, then you can buy them and stock them at home!

Where can I buy Udon noodles?

If you can go an Asian grocery store or Japanese store, they have Udon noodles in the fridge or freezer section or if you ask somebody they will tell you where they are! If not, you can probably order them on Amazon or go to a local grocery store.

It is probably easy to find dry Udon(the image below) noodles at local stores. I see this dry Udon noodle package at my local store. This is still good but it is not as thick as raw Udon noodles. So you might not get the full experience.

Go look at frozen section at your local grocery store. You’d be surprised there is a possibility that you can find row Udon noodles!

Ingredients for making Kitsune Udon

Ingredients for Kitsune Udon are pretty simple!

• Udon noodle
• Aburaage
• sauce (I will introduce in the recipe below!)
• green onion
• narutomaki (fish cakes)
• Onsen-tamago

The classic Kitsune Udon includes green onion, Aburaage, and narutomaki. I have a hard time finding narutomaki, so I won’t include it when I make Kitsune Udon but if you can find it, it would be great to add to Kitsune Udon!

How to make Kitsune Udon

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