Japanese Beef Curry Udon
Japanese beef curry udon soup! Thin shaved beef on top of Japanese curry soup filled with chewy udon noodles and veggies.
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 oz thinly shaved steak I use "US wagyu" chuck roll
- 2 250 g packs premium frozen udon noodles or similar, see notes
- ~3.5 oz Japanese curry roux base I use Golden Curry brand (1 small package or ½ a large package per batch)
- 1 medium yellow or white onion diced
- 8 oz carrots chopped into bite-sized pieces (I use baby carrots halved longways)
- 8 oz poached lotus root slices halved (optional, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 4 green onions greens sliced thin
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste or freshly minced ginger optional
- 4 ½ cups water
- olive oil or neutral oil, for cooking
- toasted sesame seeds optional, for topping the steak
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil for the udon. When the other ingredients are almost ready, cook the udon and place it directly into the serving bowls. Frozen udon typically only needs 1-2 minutes to warm up.
- Heat a generous swirl of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the thinly sliced steak and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove the cooked beef to a plate, season with a little salt, then cover with foil to keep warm.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add a little more oil if needed, then add the diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, then add the lotus root as well. Cook them together for another 1-3 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- When the onions are ready, add the garlic and cook for about a minute until it's very fragrant. Then add the water and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- As the soup is coming to a simmer, add the carrots, ketchup, ginger, and soy sauce. Chop the curry block into small pieces and work it through a fine mesh strainer as it dissolves in the soup. (See photos, this is the only reliable way I've found to avoid chunks of curry roux in the soup.)
- When the soup is ready, pour it into the serving bowls over top of the noodles. Optionally, you can scoop out the veggies first to make sure they're evenly distributed between the bowls.
- Top each bowl with the cooked beef and garnish it with toasted sesame seeds if desired. Add the green onion as well, and it's ready to serve!
Notes
If you can't find frozen udon, or just want to use something else, this recipe should work well with 8 ounces of dried pasta or noodles per batch!
Lotus root is available at most Asian grocery stores in the US. It can typically be found pre-sliced and poached in a 1 lb package in the refrigerated section. These packages are super convenient and I recommend using them!
If you're cooking with fresh lotus root, prepare it prior to following this recipe: Chop off the ends, then peel the lotus root and slice it into ~¼" thick slices. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. Boil the lotus root slices for about 5 minutes, then drain and set aside to use in the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25 batchCalories: 420kcal
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