Chikara Udon noodle soup with toasted Mochi

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This varied, hearty Chikara Udon noodle soup with toasted Mochi is just the thing for any occasion! I think this recipe tastes best with homemade Udon noodles, a small selection of fresh vegetable accompaniments and, of course, crispy toasted kirimochi, which transforms the light noodle soup into a truly filling meal.

Have you ever had the pleasure of being served a truly satisfying bowl of Udon noodle soup? Yes, no, I can’t remember…?! Either way: in my opinion, this fantastic aspect of Japanese cuisine receives far too little attention anyway… So, my recommendation today is to discover these delicious noodles – made from flour, water and salt – all over again.

Japanese Udon noodles are thick, slightly chewy yet light wheat flour noodles, usually served with a savoury broth and various vegetables and/or protein sources. Sometimes they’re even topped with a few pieces of Tempura or deep-fried Tofu. But there’s much more to this versatile Japanese noodle than just one or two simple noodle dishes!

Eine ganz besondere Udon Nudelsuppe, die du nur in sehr authentischen japanischen Restaurants auf der Speisekarte finden wirst, zeige ich dir heute! In meinem heutigen Rezept werden wir selbstgemachte Udon Nudeln in einer heißen Tsuyu Brühe typisch japanisch zubereiten und diese mit gerösteten Mochi garnieren.

Erzählt wird, dass die Zugabe von Mochi jedem, der das Gericht verspeist, ein wenig zusätzliche Kraft verleiht, was dem Gericht den Namen Chikara einbringt, was „Stärke“ oder „Macht“ bedeutet.

Ganz vielen von euch wird beim Wort Mochi sicher eine ganze Reihe leckerer Süßspeisen aus Japan einfallen. Zum Beispiel eisgekühlte Mochi, mit süßer Adzukibohnenpaste gefüllte Daifuku oder bunte Dango Spieße. Doch aufgepasst, Mochi kann noch einiges mehr!

In der japanischen Küche werden Mochi, also Reiskuchen aus gestampften Klebreis, nicht nur zuckersüß, sondern auch herrlich herzhaft zubereitet. Besonders die herzhaften, geschmacksintensiven Rezepte – wie Ozoni oder diese Chikara Udon – haben es mir zurzeit angetan!

Die wichtigste Rolle im heutigen Rezept spielen typisch japanische Kirimochi. Kirimochi werden durch das Zerstampfen von Klebreis zu einer feinen Paste und anschließend durch Pressen sowie Trocknen zu festen Formen hergestellt. Sie werden das ganze Jahr über zu vielen verschiedenen Anlässen, insbesondere aber in den kalten Monaten, gegessen. Du wirst überrascht sein, was für ein vielseitiges Lebensmittel Kirimochi sind.

KUNDENLIEBLING

Kirimochi (10 Stück quadratische Reiskuchen, getrocknet) 400g, SATO

Kiri Mochi 400g (quadratische, getrocknete Mochi Reiskuchen), Sato

Kiri Mochi ist die wichtigste Zutat für herzhafte Mochi Rezepte. Sie werden gegrillt, gekocht oder gebraten und sind eins der vielseitigsten Lebensmittel der japanischen Küche.…

€12,49

In stock

Kirimochi are usually grilled, boiled or fried – they cannot be eaten raw, instead, they must be heated first. The most popular way to prepare them is to grill them. In Japan, a simple toaster oven or even an open fire is used for this. Alternatively, however, you can also use a conventional oven or a non-stick frying pan. On the outside, kirimochi become crispy and always remind me very strongly of Japanese rice crackers – whilst inside, you’re surprised by a soft, slightly chewy texture.

Tip: Kirimochi usually have delicate perforations. This means that each block of kirimochi rice can be halved or quartered again using a large, sharp knife!

Toasting Kirimochi for Chikara Udon in a frying pan

In this recipe for Chikara Udon, the Kirimochi are fried in a hot frying pan over a medium heat until they have taken on a light golden colour on both sides. Every now and then, the Mochi blocks are turned carefully – ideally with tongs – to ensure they soften evenly on the inside. After about 5 minutes, the kirimochi have taken on a lovely colour and feel soft when turned.

Kirimochi should be a staple in your kitchen from now on. In my post on savoury Mochi recipes , I’ll show you even more delicious recipe ideas for kirimochi!

The crispy Mochi are essential for this dish, but you can easily adapt the other toppings – such as spring onions, radishes, spinach and the Japanese spice shichimi togarashi (im Shop ansehen) – to suit your own tastes.</ strong> For example, with pak choi, silken tofu (im Shop ansehen) or a little Kimchi (im Shop ansehen).

Making your own Udon noodles – cover image

You can easily make fresh Udon noodles at home – also known as teuchi Udon – using just 3 ingredients (you’ll need wheat flour, water and salt) and simple kitchen utensils! </ strong>They make a great base for various Japanese noodle soups, as they absorb the flavour of a delicious broth particularly well. → Here’s my simple basic recipe for homemade Udon noodles.

Alternatively, for this recipe, I’d like to recommend some wonderful Sanuki udon, which take about 10 minutes to cook. What makes these udon noodles special is that they’re made right in Japan and don’t come from Korea or China like many other udon noodles:

CUSTOMER FAVOURITE

Udon Nudeln 450g (5 Portionen Sanuki Udon), Nisshin

Udon Nudeln 400g (5 Portionen Sanuki Udon), Nisshin

Möchtest du eine Vielzahl von japanischen Nudelgerichten ganz einfach zu Hause zubereiten, dann solltest du dich für diese Udon Nudeln entscheiden. Die sind echtes Allroundtalent…

€5,49

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For the base stock in this recipe for Chikara Udon, we’re going to prepare a mentsuyu (also simply called tsuyu ) today. It’s a typical Japanese soup and sauce base, which is usually used for soba and Udon noodle dishes . This savoury sauce is made from Sake, Mirin, soya sauce, Dashi and a little sugar. The flavour is full of intense Umami and it’s really easy to make! → Here’s my simple basic recipe for homemade mentsuyu.

But here too, Japanese cuisine offers a great alternative, as tsuyu stock is available in every Japanese supermarket as a ready-to-use concentrate. Depending on how you’re using it, this is mixed with water in a ratio of roughly 1:3 and is only then ready to eat:

CUSTOMER FAVOURITE

Tsuyu Sauce 500ml (japanische Nudelbrühe, Dipping Sauce), Marutomo

Tsuyu Sauce 500 ml (aus Japan)

Japanische Nudelbrühe & Dipping Sauce. Diese Tsuyu Sauce von Marutomo ist eine klassische japanische Würzsauce auf Basis von Sojasauce und Dashi. Sie eignet sich als…

€6,49

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A quick tip to finish with: The broth should be kept nice and hot until serving, and don’t let the noodles cook for too long – this energising noodle soup tastes best when the noodles still have a bit of bite. Have fun cooking and enjoy!

Chikara Udon with Mochi

Serves 2 | 30 minutes | 411 kcal

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This varied, hearty Chikara Udon noodle soup with toasted Mochi is just the thing for any occasion! This recipe tastes best with homemade Udon noodles, a small selection of fresh vegetable accompaniments and, of course, crispy toasted kirimochi, which transforms this light noodle soup into a truly filling meal.

Ingredients (2 portions)

2 portions Udon noodles (im Shop ansehen) * or make your own (→ to the recipe)
2 Kirimochi – square Mochi blocks (im Shop ansehen)*
2 large radishes
2 spring onions
50 g komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach; alternatively baby spinach)
a little shichimi togarashi (Japanese chilli spice) (im Shop ansehen)*

For the tsuyu broth:
600 ml mentsuyu (make your own → see recipe)
OR
100 ml Tsuyu * + 500 ml water (fresh, cold tap water)

* Add ingredients to your basket 🪄

Preparation (30 minutes)

Step 1

Gather the ingredients for the Japanese Chikara Udon noodle soup. If you’d like to use homemade mentsuyu, it should now be ready (→ click here for the recipe for Japanese mentsuyu). Your homemade Udon noodles should also be ready by now (→ click here for the recipe for Udon noodles)!
Also, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for the Udon noodles (one litre of water per portion of noodles).

Step 2

First, let’s prepare the accompaniments: wash the spring onions , pat them dry and slice the green parts into fine rings. Keep the white ends; we’ll use these to flavour the tsuyu broth in a moment. Wash the radishes as well and slice them thinly. Also, wash the spinach and drain it.
Set everything aside until ready to serve.

Chikara Udon Step 4: Prepare the mentsuyu

Step 3

For the broth, pour the homemade mentsuyu into a saucepan (or mix the tsuyu concentrate and water in the saucepan), add the white parts of the spring onions, cover and heat over a medium heat.

Step 4

In the meantime, let’s move on to the toasted Mochi: To do this, cut each kirimochi in half. Fry the kirimochi in a frying pan (WITHOUT oil) over a medium heat until they have taken on a light golden colour on both sides (this will take about 5 minutes). Carefully turn the Mochi pieces over repeatedly (ideally using tongs) so that they soften evenly on the inside. Once the kirimochi have taken on a nice colour and feel soft when turned, remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Step 5

Once the tsuyu broth is hot, reduce the heat and keep the broth warm. Now we can cook the spinach and the Udon noodles: To do this, add the spinach to the boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove it with a small sieve, drain it and set it aside briefly.
Next, add the Udon noodles to the same boiling water and cook for 4 minutes (or as per the cooking instructions on the packet). Then drain in a large sieve and rinse briefly but thoroughly under cold water.

Chikara Udon Schritt 6 Nudelsuppe servieren

Step 6

Divide the Udon noodles between bowls and top up with the warm stock. Garnish each bowl with a piece of toasted kirimochi, arrange the accompaniments around the edges and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi.