What is Japanese Udon made out of?

Answer 1

Japanese udon noodles are made out of wheat flour, salt, and water. Udon noodles are typically white and thick in size (about 4-8 mm wide), but can come in various sizes. The thickness of the noodle varies according to the region it is made in.

The Japanese Udon dish can be prepared either hot and cold, with various ingredients. In its simplest form (kake udon), the dish is served in a hot, mild broth (kakejiru). Kakejiru is made of Japanese soup stock (dashi), soy sauce, and rice wine (mirin). The flavor of broth and topping vary from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth, made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu) is used in eastern Japan, and light brown broth, made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu) is used in western Japan.

Common toppings include tempura, often prawn, deep-fried tofu pockets (abura age), halfmoon-shaped fish cakes (kamaboko), eggs, and vegetables. The dish is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions. Toppings are chosen to according to the temperature of the dish and to balance with other ingredients.

I have added the links to the sources of this information below. The Gourmet Sleuth, an online resource for gourmet food and cooking, provides a dictionary entry for the ingredients of Udon noodles. Additionally, About.com's section on Japanese Food provides an informative article on various types of Japanese Udon noodle dishes. PDMZ.com, an award winning food blog dedicated to reviewing Udon restaraunts in Japan, shows a number of various ways udon is prepared. Also, this site provides some basic information on udon.