A rich soup, which can be cooked quickly, should always be in the hostess's piggy bank. Inexpensive and low-calorie udon with chicken - an option for a weekly dinner or lunch on a weekend. A minimum of products, maximum benefits and taste - just what you need.

Udon - a dish with history

Although the dish is considered Japanese, udon noodles are an invention of the Chinese monk. Once this man tried to combine spiritual food with physical, selecting the ingredients for the dish so that they did not have animal fats, meat and in general everything “heavy”. So it turned out wheat dough, from which the round or flat noodles were drawn. The main feature of noodles is the neutrality of taste. That is, the dough absorbs all the tastes of the broth, while remaining an independent food.

Interesting! Residents of the eastern part of Japan prepare soup with dark sauce, which makes it acquire a rich noble color. But the inhabitants of the western regions choose lighter shades, and as a result, the food is almost transparent.

The monks were so fond of wheat noodles that they began to make hearty dishes based on a side dish, adding vegetables, and sometimes meat, offal. In the shortest time, the soup spread far beyond the borders of the country, “growing” with new ingredients and ingredients. So there was udon with chicken, beef, vegetables, sprouts of soy, wheat.

Important! Udon soup with chicken and vegetables is a low-calorie first course. Chicken Breast is a non-fat source of protein. Depending on the ingredients, the calorie content of the dish is 80-200 kcal per 100 grams, even people who support the diet can afford it.

There are two main components in the dish: udon noodles and dashi broth (dashi). The broth is prepared on the basis of brown algae. Thus, the food meets the requirements of Japanese cuisine "5 components": sea, fish, animals, vegetable, wheat ingredients are combined. But sauces combine shades, creating a delicious "picture".

And now about the varieties of garnish.

Udon noodles come in many forms:

  • Dangodzhiru (dangodziru) - plump short pieces, more like dumplings.
  • Inaniva-udon is an infinitely long thin noodle more common in Akita Prefecture.
  • Ise - standard thick noodles, more like straws. Served in Mie Prefecture.
  • Kansai was invented in the prefecture of the same name, making noodles flat and wide. Such a side dish is well soaked in broth and looks like ordinary Russian noodles.
  • Biei Udon is served in the Hokkaido area (Biei city). These are noodles of “average” indicators: thickness, length, density.
  • Kishimen - flattened long noodles that are so convenient to pick up with chopsticks. Served in Nagoya, generously adding vegetables to the broth.
  • Sanuki - noodles that will appeal to all lovers of pasta. The garnish is made from durum wheat, when cooked, the threads do not boil, remaining dense and rather coarse, but they do not recognize another udon in Kagawa Prefecture.
  • Suba - noodles, in which the components of vegetable ash are necessarily added. This does not affect the taste of the side dish, but the threads are of medium thickness and very soft, which are delicious to eat with a saturated broth. This is the kind of udon you can taste on the east coast of Japan.
  • Hoto is both noodles and a type of food. The soup is prepared with the addition of pumpkins, which makes the broth get a bright color and a very pleasant aroma. You can go to Yamanashi Prefecture, where hoto is served in every cafe or make soup at home.
  • Kake is a dish of Cantonese Japanese. Noodles are short, but not thin, you can eat soup with a spoon.
  • Su-udon is preferred in the Kansai region. Here, in addition to noodles, meat, vegetables, a hot dish is abundantly sprinkled with green onions, sesame seeds and other yummy.

A variety of noodles allows you to cook soup with chicken and vegetables, meat at least every day. But for this you need to find dashi (dashi) sauce. It is sold in specialized stores, and if it is not there, we cook it ourselves.

 

A dashi (dashi) broth consists of dried plates of kombu brown algae and Katsuobushi fish flakes. Useful 2 plates of algae and 140 gr. fish flakes, 1 liter of water.

How to cook:

  • Pour algae with ice water and leave to stand for half an hour;
  • as soon as time runs out, move the pan to the fire and bring the brew to a boil;
  • immediately turn off the heat, get the combo and fall asleep flakes;
  • do not cook, let the cereal stand under the lid for 10 minutes;
  • strain the broth through cheesecloth or sieve;
  • wring the residue, then strain.

Dasha’s sauce is ready, but this is the easiest option. In the original, dashi is infused up to six months to acquire the desired flavor. Sometimes the broth is simmered over a small fire without boiling for 4-5 hours, so that it becomes more concentrated, and then they are rolled up in jars and stored in a cool place.

Advice! If you buy a ready-made concentrate, 1 tbsp is enough for cooking soup. l raw materials diluted in 1 liter of water. Mix dry powder with cold water, then cook exactly 5 minutes after boiling.

And now, when the main components of the dish are, it is time to move on to preparing a hearty, hot meal. By the way, in some prefectures, udon noodles are served with hot and cold broth. But what you can’t do is heat up the first dish - the brew loses all its properties.

Chicken udon - a simple recipe for cooking

To prepare a satisfying and simple udon soup, you can take any sauces, combining them to your taste. The main rule - should be soy sauce, which replaces salt. Also, oriental Japanese cuisine does not recognize dishes without ginger and garlic.

So, the ingredients:

  • vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp. l .;
  • udon noodles - 200 gr.;
  • chicken breast or poultry fillet - 200-300 gr.;
  • onion turnip - 1 medium head;
  • garlic - 2 cloves;
  • fresh ginger - 1-2 cm;
  • carrot - 1 pc.

Another 1 liter of dashi broth, sauces and herbs to taste will come in handy. We will cook in a deep pan with a thick bottom. How to cook chicken udon:

  • Boil the noodles according to the instructions. If this is a dry product, cook for no more than 5 minutes, then immediately drain, pour over with iced water, allow to drain. Vacuum-packed noodles are not cooked, carefully sorted by thread and then added to the finished dish.
  • Cut the meat into cubes, peel the vegetables and chop into medium-sized slices. Ginger and garlic, grate or chop finely.

Advice! To add originality to the soup, carrots can be rubbed with a “housekeeper” ribbons - such thin slices will be quickly prepared and will look beautiful in the finished dish.

  • Pour the oil into the pan, quickly fry the chicken cubes until half-cooked (2-3 minutes), add the carrots and onions, fry for another 2 minutes and add the garlic and ginger.
  • Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour 2 tbsp. l soy sauce, you can add a drop of oyster sauce.
  • As soon as the whole mass warms up (do not boil much), put the noodles and broth in the dish.

Stir, warm and serve. In some prefectures in Japan, it is customary to spread the thickets in cups and only then pour hot broth, sprinkle with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.

Cooking with vegetables

To cook udon with chicken and vegetables, you don’t have to run after rare ingredients. Enough of what is in the refrigerator. There is no standard recipe for today, so we add what we like: peas, eggplant, bell pepper, pumpkin, wheat or soybean sprouts, beans. What should not be in udon is tomatoes. Despite the recipes with tomatoes, this dish is considered already adapted to the conditions of other countries and is not truly Japanese.

Step by step recipe:

  • Peel all vegetables, ginger and garlic, chop the rest. Slicing can be either a cube (along with chicken) or long plates to cling sticks with noodles.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan, quickly fry the chicken, then vegetables, and finally add garlic, ginger.
  • Bring to readiness, season with sauces (do not salt), warm.
  • Preheat the broth. Put the finished udon in a cup, top the meat and vegetable mixture and pour the broth.

With Teriyaki Sauce

What are teriyaki? It is a concentrated dark-colored liquid with a very specific taste and smell. Sweet and sour teriyaki is added to almost all dishes, giving them an exquisite and pleasant taste, aroma. Cooking teriyaki at home is optional, but you can try mixing soy sauce with crushed garlic, honey, grated ginger, potato starch, wine vinegar, cane sugar and a spoonful of clean water. All ingredients are mixed in minimal portions, added to your liking.

It is interesting:teriyaki sauce at home

The result should be a meal in which all tastes are clearly felt, but at the same time there is a single shade and aroma. But in order not to work for a long time, it is easier to buy sauce in the store.

To make the soup you will need a few ingredients, but vary the volumes yourself:

  • boneless chicken;
  • boiled noodles;
  • any vegetables;
  • soy sauce, teriyaki sauce - to taste;
  • greens, sesame seeds - to taste;
  • fresh ginger grated;
  • dasha’s broth;
  • crushed garlic.

How to cook:

  • In oil, fry the chicken and vegetables, with the addition of ginger and garlic in the last turn;
  • Warm up the broth exactly in the amount required by all eaters;
  • Add sauces to meat and vegetables, then noodles;
  • Arrange the goodies in cups, pour the broth.

It remains only to sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs, sesame seeds and udon soup with teriyaki sauce is ready. The sauce is added both when warming the gravy, and separately in bowls. The main thing is not to overheat the vegetables with the sauce so that the teriyaki does not decompose into taste components.

Udon noodles with chicken and mushrooms

This dish gives a real freedom of imagination.Of the varieties of mushrooms, it is customary to add shiitaki (caps), fresh champignons. Some hostesses risk serving udon with oyster mushrooms, wild mushrooms, honey mushrooms - all to your taste.

To make udon with chicken and mushrooms or yaki udon, you will need:

  • 200 gr. chicken fillet;
  • 2 tbsp. l vegetable oil;
  • 300 gr fresh mushrooms;
  • 200 gr. udon noodles;
  • 1 onion;
  • 1 carrot;
  • 2 cm of fresh ginger root;
  • 3 cloves of garlic;
  • Vegetables to taste;
  • Soya sauce;
  • Dasha’s broth.

And now the preparation itself:

  • Rinse, dry and clean poultry and vegetables;
  • Cut the ingredients in stripes or dice;
  • Boil the noodles or disassemble carefully on the thread (if it is ready);
  • Heat 2 tbsp in a pan l oil, fry the chicken, then add the mushrooms and evaporate all the liquid;
  • Throw vegetables to the chicken with mushrooms, fry until tender, add grated ginger and crushed garlic;
  • Warm up, pour in sauces, warm up again;
  • Add noodles, stock and can be served.

When serving yaki, udon is sprinkled with herbs, sesame seeds.

How to Make Chicken Udon Soup

The basic rules for making soup are simple:

  • Take only fillet, pitted;
  • Warm up the broth last and accurately calculate the volume;
  • Meat and vegetables are fried separately, with the obligatory addition of garlic, fresh grated ginger;
  • Do not add salt, its role is played by sauces: teriyaki, oyster, soy.

If sprouts of wheat, peas or soy are added to the udon soup, they are placed last. Gentle greens cannot be cooked, only slightly warmed up. Soup is considered the most delicious, in which all the qualities are collected: soft meat, juicy noodles, rich broth and crispy vegetables. That is why many chefs take for cooking not stewpots and pans, but a wok pan.

How can I replace chicken in cooking

Depending on the preferences of the family, the cook himself, the chicken in the hot dish is replaced with shrimp, beef, fish. Few people eat udon with pork, but Hokkaido and Honshu went on a similar experiment, after boiling the meat for 5-6 hours. The result is excellent, which every housewife can verify.

Sometimes the dish is generally left without meat, dispensing with mushrooms and vegetables. You can even remove almost all the ingredients, leaving noodles, garlic, ginger, dasha broth. If you drink this soup hot, it perfectly relieves migraines, diseases of the nasopharynx and throat. So, knowing how to cook udon, you also get a tasty cure for seasonal diseases.

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