Japanese Curry Udon

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A great combination of chewy udon noodles and tasty Japanese curry. This vegan curry udon is really comforting and easy to put together with a few key ingredients.

JAPANESE CURRY UDON

This curry udon is my vegan take on Japanese curry udon that I have in Japanese restaurants. It’s so satisfying and warming with the rich curry base and chewy noodles.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

You can find the full detailed recipe in the card below!

1 small white onion sliced
5.2 oz mushrooms of choice – chopped or separated (I used shimeji and shiitake mushrooms)
Neutral oil for cooking
1 tbsp sake
2.25 to 2.5 cups vegan dashi (see notes)
1.5 cubes Japanese curry roux/block – I used S&B (see notes) 40 g
Pinch salt to taste
Pinch sugar to taste
2 tsp soy sauce, optional to taste
Japanese chili oil (layu) or chili powder, optional for heat
1 serving udon , I used sanuki udon (see notes)
Green onions for garnish

VEGAN DASHI

I make vegan dashi with dried kombu and shiitake mushrooms. I leave these to soak overnight in the fridge. You can also soak this for 2-3 hours in hot water. Do not wash the kombu since the white powdery substance packs umami. Be sure to cut some slits onto the kombu to release more flavors.

JAPANESE CURRY CUBES

I used the brand S&B for the curry cubes. They have mild to hot curry cubes that specifically state ‘ No meat contained’ on the packaging.

UDON NOODLES

For the udon, I used frozen sanuki udon and simply microwaved the noodles for around 2 minutes in a bowl with a lid until chewy. You can also boil the udon until chewy and separated.

frozen sank udon — I love keeping a pack of frozen udon to boil or microwave and use for recipes.

I love keeping a pack of frozen udon to boil or microwave and use for recipes.

HOW TO MAKE THIS CURRY UDON

STIR FRY THE ONIONS AND MUSHROOMS

Heat a medium sized pot over medium. Once hot, add the oil.
Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
Add the mushrooms and allow to cook until lightly brown. Add the sake and leave to evaporate over medium heat.

FOR THE SOUP

Pour the vegan dashi or stock into the pot.
For the curry cubes, I like to chop these into smaller pieces to dissolve easily.
Place the cubes in a small strainer or laddle with holes. Submerge into the soup and mix to dissolve.
Season the curry with salt and sugar, to taste, if needed.
Leave the curry to simmer over medium low heat until it starts to thicken.

NOODLES

For the udon, I used frozen sanuki udon and simply microwaved the noodles for around 2 minutes in a bowl with a lid until chewy. You can also boil the udon until chewy and separated.
Once the curry has thickened, you can add more dashi or stock to run it down, if desired. I personally prefer a thicker soup base to coat the noodles.

SERVE THE UDON AND ENJOY!

Pour the soup over the noodles. Top with green onions. Enjoy while hot

MORE NOODLES RECIPES YOU’LL ENJOY!

Japanese Curry Udon (Vegan)

5 from 3 votes

A great combination of chewy udon noodles and tasty Japanese curry. This curry udon is really comforting and easy to put together with a few key ingredients. This vegan version uses kombu and shiitake mushrooms for the dashi along with fresh mushrooms of choice.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, East Asian, Japanese

Servings serving

Calories 373 kcal

Ingredients

1 small white onion sliced
5.2 oz mushrooms of choice – chopped or separated (I used shimeji and shiitake mushrooms)
Neutral oil for cooking
1 tbsp sake
2.25 to 2.5 cups vegan dashi (see notes)
1.5 cubes Japanese curry roux/block – I used S&B (see notes) 40 g
Pinch salt to taste
Pinch sugar to taste
2 tsp soy sauce , optional to taste
1 serving udon , I used sanuki udon (see notes)
Japanese chili oil (layu) or chili powder , optional for extra heat
Green onions for garnish

Instructions

Heat a medium sized pot over medium. Once hot, add the oil.
Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
Add the mushrooms and allow to cook until lightly brown. Add the sake and leave to evaporate over medium heat.
Pour the vegan dashi or stock into the pot.
For the curry cubes, I like to chop these into smaller pieces to dissolve easily.
Place the cubes in a small strainer or laddle with holes. Submerge into the soup and mix to dissolve.
Season the curry with salt, sugar and soy sauce, to taste, if desired.
Leave the curry to simmer over medium low heat until it starts to thicken.
For the udon, I used frozen sanuki udon and simply microwaved the noodles for around 2 minutes in a bowl with a lid until chewy. You can also boil the udon until chewy and separated.
Once the curry has thickened, you can add more dashi or stock to run it down, if desired. I personally prefer a thicker soup base to coat the noodles.
Pour the soup over the noodles. Top with green onions. Finish with some chili oil or powder for extra heat, if you'd like. Enjoy while hot!

WATCH Video

Notes

DASHI

For the vegan kombu-shiitake dashi, I soaked 2 dried shiitake mushrooms and one 4×6″ sheet of dried kombu in water overnight. You can also soak this for 2-3 hours in hot water. Do not wash the kombu since the white powdery substance packs umami. Be sure to cut some slits onto the kombu to release more flavors.
What to do with rehydrated sheets of kombu? You can make kombu tsukudani or simmered kombu!

SAKE

You can also use mirin and skip the sugar since mirin has more sugar content.

UDON

I used frozen sanuki udon. I love the chewiness of this particular udon.

CURRY CUBES

I used the brand S&B for the curry cubes. They have mild to hot curry cubes that specifically state ‘ No meat contained’ on the packaging.
I find that S&B curry cubes have very good concentrated flavor so I no longer have to season these unlike other brands that I’ve tried, which were a bit less flavorful.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

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This Post Has 6 Comments

Niklas August 15, 2023 Reply

Hey Jessica, as a friend gifted me some curry cubes this recipe came at an opportune time and it tasted really good. My first time eating Udon noodles too, which was fun!
In the Dashi section you speak of fried kombu and shiitake, I luckily did some googling because that seemed wrong to me. My instincts are improving it seems B)
1. Jeeca August 15, 2023 Reply
  
  Hi Nikla! What do you mean by the fried kombu for the dashi? Not sure if this was a typo error but I indicated dried kombu there that I soak along with the dried shiitake mushrooms to make the dashi ◡̈ and glad you liked the udon!
  1. Niklas August 16, 2023 Reply
    
    “I make vegan dashi with fried kombu and shiitake mushrooms. I leave these to soak overnight…” quite far at the top of the page.
    
    Have a nice day!
    1. Jeeca August 16, 2023 Reply
      
      oops sorry about that, thanks for pointing it out! Have a great day too!
Vina October 21, 2023 Reply

Amazing
1. Jeeca October 22, 2023 Reply
  
  Thank you Vina ◡̈

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

Hello there!

I’m Jeeca, a food content creator and recipe developer passionate about creating easy yet tasty and flavour-packed vegan recipes. I share a lot of Asian recipes inspired by my travels and those I grew up enjoying.

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