Curry Udon

When my children and I were planning a trip to Oahu a couple of years ago, my son said the one restaurant he wanted to go to was Marugame Udon. It's a chain in Japan (although it's called Marugame Seimen in Japan) that he really liked. 

The first time we passed the restaurant in Hawaii, the line was out the door, down the street, and around the corner. For real. It's so popular. When we decided to go there for dinner, the line was almost as long, so we waited in the heat and blaring sun to get our udon. 

I had the curry udon with beef curry broth, and it was worth the wait in the sun. So good! When I got back from vacation, I kept thinking about how good it was, so I searched for a curry udon recipe that was similar. I found this one at Cilantro and Citronella, and even though it wasn't the same, it looked and sounded good. And it is! 

And I don't have to wait and sweat in a long line outside to get it.

This dish is full of flavor and is easy to make. I find refrigerated udon noodles in the produce section of the grocery store near won ton wrappers.   

Curry Udon

14 oz.(400 g.) fresh udon noodles

4 T. canola oil, divided

½ med. onion, thinly sliced

1 small potato, cubed

1 carrot, sliced

2 – 3 dried shiitake mushrooms

3 c. vegetable stock 

4 T. flour

1 T. curry powder

1 T. garam masala

½ t. cayenne pepper (optional)

1 T. soy sauce, plus more to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 green onion, sliced

Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until soft and transparent. Add the potato, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile prepare the curry roux. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour, curry powder and garam masala and mix well. Stir for about 5 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Continue to cook and stir until the roux sticks together in a ball and starts to crumble apart. Remove from the heat.

When vegetables are ready, ladle some of the soup into the pan with the roux and stir well to dissolve the flour. Pour this into the pot with the soup and mix well as it thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove shiitake mushrooms, slice them, and add them back in. Add a little more stock or water for thinner soup.

Divide the noodles into your bowls. Ladle curry stew on noodles, and garnish with chopped green onions.