I grew up in my early years having the basic version of udon (kake udon) for lunch almost every Sunday. My mom just used the udon equivalent of dry pasta. But she focused on making the broth portion (kakejiru). Homemade dashi, shoyu, some mirin, and maybe an occasional beef or pork bone added for depth. She usually added simple toppings and garnish of kamaboko and think sliced negi. Egg in some form (thin sliced omlette, boiled or raw). Less often, she’d add some thinly sliced beef or shio yaki chicken; maybe even some shrimp or tempura. Nothing in great quantity or too heavy in flavor.
I didn’t really “get” udon when I was a kid. I actually grew very tired of it. I thought of it as very boring and bland. “Ghost flavor” is how I described a fair amount of Japanese cuisine, and udon was the epitome. It was competing with stuff like burgers, Tito’s and Mac & cheese.
But in my adult years, I would order udon on occasion out of nostalgia. I noticed that the interplay between the udon noodle and kakejiru (broth) was very important. If the broth wasn’t properly balanced, the aftertaste left in my mouth was unpleasant, sitting on the back of my tongue. And the noodles wouldn’t have a clean taste to them (think of that perfectly tasting glass of water v. just some random water).
I realized that my mom had the most basic version dialed in - at least to my tastes. On occasion, I’d ask my mom if she could make a batch for lunch. Her version had the right balance, no unpleasant aftertaste and although the noodles were the dry store bought variety, still had a nice clean taste. And because she took care in the little details like properly slicing the negi just before serving, those had a wonderful slightly pungent kick that was a nice accent to the subtle flavors of the udon.
Since mom passed away, I think deeply about these kinds of times. I’ve randomly tried some versions in the South Bay (Sanuki no Sato, Kotohira, Otafuku, Mitsui) and they’re all pretty to very good. When Marugame Monzo opened in J-town, I gave them a try and thought, “Damn, now this is good. Sorry Mom, but this is even better.”
The broth was different (darker) but at least as pleasing. It was the noodles. Hand made, hand sliced, and cooked to order. More Al dente, much thicker, and just a joy to eat. I considered this place the temple to udon. Kotohira was probably the first that I knew of to offer this type of noodle, which is still very good to my knowledge, but Marugame Monzo IMHO is just better.
So my upbringing had always experienced the most basic version of udon. The other versions that have become more commonplace at eateries are riffs that are foreign yet interesting to me. I’ve tried a couple (curry udon and mentaiko pasta) and I have to say that they work well for me too. But the true test from my perspective is still - can this place make a straight up bowl of kake udon?
