{"id":174511,"title":"Authentic Miso Nikomi Udon","modified":"2026-09-23T11:47:47+02:00","plain":"Thick udon noodles made without salt, simmered in a red miso dashi broth and served bubbling hot in their own little pot, Nagoya-style.\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s cold, the day has been long, and all you want is a steaming hot pot set in front of you. Miso nikomi udon arrives still boiling, its dark brown broth bubbling around the edges, its wide noodles catching the soup. \n\n\n\nYou break the egg yolk, pick up a piece of chicken, a slice of kamaboko, a piece of aburaage soaked in miso broth. You have to blow on every mouthful, and that\u2019s exactly what keeps you coming back.\n\n\n\nFancy a little more aburaage? It also stars in kitsune udon\n\n\n\nWhat is miso nikomi udon?\n\n\n\nMiso nikomi udon is a noodle soup from Nagoya. Thick udon noodles, made without salt, are cooked from raw directly in a miso-enriched dashi. Their starch thickens the soup as they cook, while the center of each noodle stays firm. Chicken, shiitake mushrooms, aburaage, kamaboko, Japanese leek and an egg complete the dish, which is served in its cooking pot.\n\n\n\nThe name simply describes the dish: miso refers to fermented soybean paste, nikomi means \u201csimmered\u201d and udon refers to thick wheat noodles. So these are udon noodles simmered in miso.\n\n\n\nFrom rural Aichi to the pots of Nagoya\n\n\n\nThe dish is inseparable from Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture, a region known for its dark, long-fermented soybean miso, of which Okazaki\u2019s hatcho miso is the best-known variety. \n\n\n\nThis red miso gives the broth its dark color and bold flavor. The cooking method is often compared to houtou-style noodle stews, rustic dishes associated with the Sengoku period in the 16th century.\n\n\n\nAnother Nagoya specialty to try: tebasaki, those glazed, peppery chicken wings\n\n\n\nDuring the Meiji era (1868-1912), this home-cooked dish made its way into local restaurants, particularly in Ichinomiya, before becoming a symbol of Nagoya. It traditionally arrives in a small individual earthenware donabe, still bubbling. On some models, the lid has no steam vent: it doubles as a small plate for cooling the noodles and broth, one mouthful at a time.\n\n\n\nThe texture still sparks debate. Visitors sometimes mistake the noodle\u2019s firm, white center, the shin, for a sign that it is undercooked. For regulars, it is precisely what defines the dish.\n\n\n\nThe main ingredients in miso nikomi udon\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe noodles combine two flours: a strong T65 flour for structure and chew, and a plain T55 flour to soften the texture. The dough is dense, has a low hydration level and contains no salt, as the miso broth is already very salty. It is cut into strips about twice as wide as classic udon, and short pieces work very well.\n\n\n\nThe broth starts with a strong dashi made from kombu, katsuobushi and dried shiitake mushrooms, or a good-quality dashi powder. It is seasoned mainly with red miso for color and depth, plus a little milder white miso. Mirin adds a gentle sweetness that rounds everything out.\n\n\n\nAs for the toppings, chicken thigh stays juicy as it simmers, and dried shiitake mushrooms add an earthy umami. Aburaage, a deep-fried tofu, soaks up the broth like a sponge, kamaboko adds its springy texture, and Japanese leek brings a fresh green note. The egg, cracked into the center near the end of cooking, blends into the soup as soon as you break the yolk.\n\n\n\nKey techniques for great miso nikomi udon\n\n\n\nNagoya\u2019s red miso also coats miso katsu\n\n\n\nIt all comes down to the noodles: thick and chewy, with a center that remains firm after about 8 minutes of simmering. \n\n\n\nThe soup should lightly coat the noodles thanks to the starch they release, and the dashi should be full-flavored, ideally made with thick bonito shavings. A small donabe is ideal, but a small individual saucepan works perfectly well. The pot is brought to the table on a tray while still boiling, once the chicken is cooked through.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Miso Nikomi Udon\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tNouilles100 g strong bread flour (t65)100 g all-purpose flour (T55)80 ml water3 tablespoons buckwheat flour, for dusting (or all-purpose flour)Garnitures200 g chicken thigh0.5 Japanese leek0.5 sheet aburaage (deep-fried tofu)2 dried shiitake mushrooms2 eggs4 slices kamaboko (Japanese fish cake)Bouillon800 ml dashi (made with kombu, katsuobushi and dried shiitake mushrooms, or made from powder)3 tablespoons red miso1 tablespoon white miso5 tablespoons mirin\t\n\t\n\t\tNouillesMix the flours and water in a large bowl.Knead for about 15 minutes, using your body weight.Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 1 hour.Knead again for about 15 minutes, then let rest again.There is no need to stomp vigorously on the dough.Flour the work surface.Roll out the dough to about 5 to 6 mm thick.Fold the dough, then cut it into strips about 5 to 6 mm wide, roughly twice the width of a standard udon noodle.Short noodles work well.Prepare the dashi in advance.CuissonPour the dashi into a small individual saucepanDissolve the miso in it.Bring to a boil.Reduce the heat to medium, then add the noodles.As soon as it returns to a boil, add the chicken and shiitake mushrooms.Simmer gently for about 8 minutes, keeping the noodles firm at the center.Gently crack an egg into the center.Arrange the remaining toppings.Cover and simmer for 30 more seconds.Serve the pot while still bubbling hot, set on a tray.\t\n\t\n\t\tNo salt in the dough: the miso broth is already very salty.\nRich dashi: use robust katsuobushi (thick shavings rather than thin flakes), boiled thoroughly with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms. This is important for the flavor.\nFirm noodles: a very al dente texture, with a center that stays firm, is what you want. Adjust the thickness and simmering time to your taste","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}