Lazyass Cookin': Nabeyaki Udon

I've been obsessed with making this dish for a few months now -- it is really satisfying when you are craving noodles, and so ridiculously easy to make. You can usually find nabeyaki udon on the menus at Japanese restaurants, for $12+. This is so easy to make at home, and cheap!

INGREDIENTS
1 pack of frozen udon noodles (if you only have the hard kind, that is fine too)
A few pieces of fishcake (I use chikuwa here)
A type of green (bok choy, napa cabbage, spinach)
Some green onions
Udon/Soba soup base

Optional: Egg and mushrooms



METHOD

1. Fill pot with 3 cups of water:



One requirement for this dish is to have a heavy pot, be it a nabe-style clay pot, or cast iron. Le Creuset works fine.

2. Chop all ingredients



3. Once the water starts to boil, add about a tablespoon of the udon soup base, or homemade tsuyu, to the water. Add the fishcakes to get more dashi, and umami.



4. Optional step: In another pot, boil water and cook noodles seperately



This is a not-so-lazy step that I do because I find the starch element, that Anders had mentioned before in his bacon udon recipe , to be too much when the noodles are cooked in the same pot. But technically if you have frozen udon, you should just be able to put it in directly to the pot where you're cooking everything else.

I found these frozen Sanuki-style noodles at the Korean market, for super duper cheap. $2.50 for five packs!



It's not the best udon, but it works fine. We are in a recession, afterall.

5. Dump all the vegetables into your pot.



Let it all come to a simmer.



6. The stove should be on medium. Add noodles.



Again, you can pre-boil the noodles, or just add the frozen pack directly into the pot, at this point.

7. Add egg.



8. Cover the pot, with all the ingredients boiling.



9. After about three minutes, open the lid.



It's done when the egg is cooked to your liking.

All in all, this took about 15 minutes, including prep.



Add grated daikon if you please, and a heap of green onions. If you have any ten-kasu (tempura flakes), sprinkle some over. Serve in little bowls.



This is the perfect dish to keep you and your family warm during the winter months.