Kenchinjiru Udon Recipe

Chef Shuko Oda, of Koya Restaurant in London, was generous enough to share this elevated comfort dish. The combination of the root vegetables in broth is not only healthy but incredibly soulful, and much needed around the cooler seasons.

Chef Oda says about the dish: “There seems to be a version of ‘hearty root vegetables in broth’ in every culture, and when your heart is set on eating it, there’s really nothing else that can replace it. Here’s a version that appears on our specials boards when the days are icy cold, to warm your heart and body. At the restaurants, we like to cook the vegetables until tender and crumbly.”

If you haven’t yet visited Chef Oda’s restaurant, Koya, it is an absolute must. Such is the success of the original Soho restaurant, which opened back in 2010, you will find further locations in Hackney and the City. Chef Oda has been serving her incredible Udon noodles to very happy (and loyal) customers over the years, and is also now known for her authentic Japanese small plates. We’re honestly getting hungry as we write this!

Recipe for Kenchinjiru Udon

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 380g uncooked fresh Udon
• 600ml vegan (or fish) dashi
• 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame oil
• ½ carrot
• 50g daikon
• 120g kabocha (squash)
• 1 sheet (40g) of fried tofu (usu-age) *This can be bought from most Japanese or Chinese supermarkets
• ½ leek
• ½ tablespoon of soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon of sake
• Spring onion (optional)

Method

Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in 200ml of water overnight. When you are ready to cook, take the shiitake out, cut them into quarters and keep both the shiitake water and shiitake for later.

In the meantime, peel and dice the carrot, daikon, kabocha and leek into bite-sized pieces.

Place the fried tofu in a colander and pour over boiling water from the kettle to drain the excess oil before slicing it into 1 cm strips.

In a medium saucepan, heat up the roasted sesame oil and fry the carrots, daikon and kabocha for 5 minutes. Then add the fried tofu, shiitake and leek and fry it for another 5minutes.

This is a good moment to start cooking the Udon as per the instructions on the pack. To finish off your vegetables, add the dashi, water from shiitake, soy sauce and sake and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Once the Udon have been cooked, divide into bowls and pour the dashi and vegetables over. You can garnish with spring onion if you like.

Itadakimasu!

If you’ve yet to try Chef Shuko Oda’s dishes at Koya, this restaurant needs to be added to your list. We love all the locations, especially Soho.