Beautiful, balanced, and super tasty! Mentaiko Udon is a refreshing chilled udon dish featuring mentaiko (spicy cod roe), a very soft boiled egg, green onions, and shredded nori. Pour on the sauce, mix, and enjoy ^_^
We love eating udon!
We use udon noodles to make Yaki Udon and Udon Stir Fry (complete with Spam and cabbage...a classic Hawaii combo). We also make Kimchi Udon With Cheese and Natto Udon.
We purchase frozen udon noodles from the local Japanese market. Keep a bunch in your freezer, they often come in handy.
Today's udon dish is a chilled dish. Just cook the noodles and rinse under running water. Top with mentaiko (spicy cod roe), green onions, a soft boiled egg with the yolk barely cooked (or onsen egg or raw egg yolk), and shredded nori. Serve with a little bowl mentsuyu on the side. Pour on the mentsuyu, mix and eat ^_^
It's bright and briny from the mentaiko. Green onions give texture and a little bite. The egg makes it creamy, but never heavy. And shredded nori is always a great idea. The ideal quick and easy (but elegant!) lunch.
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Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Frozen udon - Find it at the freezer aisle of most Asian markets.
- Egg - We'll use this to make a very soft-boiled egg. We walk the yolk barely cooked. The egg is what makes this dish so creamy but not heavy.
- Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) - More info on mentaiko in the section below.
- Green onion
- Shredded nori
- Mentsuyu - Mentsuyu is a concentrated noodle soup base. It's made from soy sauce, mirin, sake, and dashi. You can make it at home or buy mentsuyu from a Japanese market or online.
- Shichimi togarashi - Optional, but always tasty.
See recipe card for quantities.
What Is Mentaiko?
Mentaiko is spicy cod roe. Briny and salty with a little spice, mentaiko is delicious and versatile!
Aside from making this mentaiko udon, you can also make mentaiko toast and mentaiko pasta and mentaiko rice. Even mentaiko hapen! Mentaiko is a popular onigiri filling. Many Japanese bakeries incorporate mentaiko into their baked goods...super tasty.
Purchase mentaiko at any Japanese market. In Honolulu we go to Nijiya (Ala Moana location), Mitsuwa, or Marukai. They have mentaiko in the frozen and/or refrigerated section of the market. It freezes well so you can buy a couple packs and store in the freezer for last minute meals.
Mentaiko is usually sold in a two pack (or rather, two sac pack). You only need one mentaiko sac per serving of udon in this recipe.
Instructions
Let's get cooking!
Prepare the egg.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat. Gently add the egg. Put a lid on the pot and remove from heat. Let sit for 6 minutes.
Prepare everything else while the egg is cooking. Start with the udon.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the frozen udon noodles for 1 minute, and drain. Rinse under running water (for 10-15 seconds) and drain again. Place the noodles in a serving bowl.
Prepare the mentaiko.
Remove the mentaiko from the thin sac/membrane.
There are many ways to do this. We like to use our fingers to hold one end of the mentaiko and then use chopsticks to press and squeeze all the roe out into a small bowl.
You can also use a small knife to cut a slit into the sac/membrane and then scrape out all the roe.
Add toppings.
Top the udon with the mentaiko, chopped green onions, and shredded nori.
Prepare the sauce.
Pour the mentsuyu into a small cup/sauce dish. Microwave for 10 seconds. Set aside.
Add the egg.
Once the soft-boiled egg is done, crack it open directly into the bowl with the udon and all the toppings.
Add spice/heat.
Add shichimi togarashi (optional) if using.
Time to eat.
The dish is ready. Serve the udon bowl with the mentsuyu on the side. Pour on as much of mentsuyu as you like. Mix, eat, and enjoy!
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few things we like to do:
- Spicy - Sprinkle shichimi togarashi on top for heat. Here's a popular brand. Or try a fancy version.
- Bacon - Cook 1-2 strips of bacon till crisp (you can do this in the microwave...faster and cleaner). Crumble the bacon on top of the udon.
- Avocado - Cut avocado into small pieces or strips. Add it on top of the udon.
- Okra - Blanch 2-3 pieces of okra for 3 minutes. Slice the okra into ½-inch pieces. Place it on top of the udon.
Enjoy!
Equipment
All you need is a small pot to boil the udon noodles and cook the egg.
Storage
This dish does not keep well. Make it only right before you plan to eat it.
Top Tip
We use a very soft boiled egg for this recipe. There are many ways for making the soft boiled egg this works for us: bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat and gently lower the egg into the pot. Put a lid on the pot and remove it from the stove. Let it cook for 6 minutes.
Then remove from the pot and crack the egg directly onto the bowl of udon.
If you want the egg more cooked, then just let it sit for an extra minute. We also let it sit for a minute more if I'm making two eggs at once.
Don't stress this part too much. There's no "perfect" recipe because it depends on the size of your pot, how hot the water is, and how big (and how many) eggs you use ^_^
FAQ
So many things! Here are a few recipes we love:
- Yaki Udon - A popular dish with shiitake mushrooms and carrots ^_^
- Udon Stir Fry - With lots of Spam, cabbage, and black pepper!
- Kimchi Udon With Cheese - Yes, cheese and udon go so good together.
- Natto Udon - Super similiar to this Mentaiko Udon recipe, except using natto instead of mentaiko.
You don't have to, but it makes a huge difference. The barely cooked yolk from the soft boiled egg helps bind the noodles with all the ingredients (and really helps the mentaiko cling to the noodles nicely).
Yes for sure! If there are good local eggs you trust (there are several places to get super good eggs in Hawaii) then definitely, please use a raw egg yolk. It is SO delicious and perfect for this dish ^_^
Make mentaiko toast! Make mentaiko pasta! Or mentaiko hapen! And definitely mentaiko rice.
Mentaiko Udon Recipe
Mentaiko Udon
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen udon 250 grams
- 1 egg
- 1 lobe mentaiko
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons shredded nori
- 1.5 tablespoons mentsuyu
- shichimi togarashi optional
Instructions
- Prepare the egg. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat. Gently add the egg. Put a lid on the pot and remove from heat. Let sit for 6 minutes.
- Prepare everything else while the egg is cooking. Start with the udon:Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the frozen udon noodles for 1 minute, and drain. Rinse under running water (for 10-15 seconds) and drain again. Place the noodles in a serving bowl.
- Prepare the mentaiko:Remove the mentaiko from the thin sac/membrane.There are many ways to do this. We like to use our fingers to hold one end of the mentaiko and then use chopsticks to press and squeeze all the roe out into a small bowl.You can also use a small knife to cut a slit into the sac/membrane and then scrape out all the roe.
- Top the udon with the mentaiko, chopped green onions, and shredded nori.
- Pour the mentsuyu into a small cup/sauce dish. Microwave for 10 seconds. Set aside.
- Once the soft-boiled egg is done, crack it open directly into the bowl with the udon and all the toppings.
- Add shichimi togarashi (optional) if using.
- The dish is ready! Serve the udon bowl with the mentsuyu on the side. Pour on as much of mentsuyu as you like. Mix, eat, and enjoy!
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Mahalo for Reading!