It’s important to buy the thick udon noodles because it’ll stand up to the rich curry. Think of it like you would pasta—thin noodles would call for a light sauce and thick noodles would call for a robust, hearty sauce. Same logic. I always buy the dried noodles when making the typical udon, but get the fresh noodles for this. My friend Christy happened to mention her favorite frozen udon brand and that’s what I used here. If you can find it, use Sanukiya Udon (distributed by Shirakiku). It’s chewy and has a great firmness and isn’t soft or mushy.

Tomato Keema Curry Udon
トマトキーマカレーうどん
Adapted from オレンジページ2010年1月7日
Makes 2 servings

1 Tbsp canola oil
½ onion, slice into 4 sections crosswise, then thinly slice lengthwise
1 garlic clove, grated finely (with a microplane grater)
1/3 piece ginger, grated
2 tomatoes, 2 center-sliced sections (1 cm thick) and the rest diced
150 g ground beef
1 pack savory chicken broth, dissolved in 600 ml boiling water (you could also use a bouillon cube)
1/2 package curry roux (I used S&B brand’s Torokeru Curry)
2 packages frozen udon noodles
1 stalk green onion (optional)

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Once it begins to shimmer, add the onion. Cook for 6 to 7 mins, stirring frequently. Measure 100 ml water and set aside. When the onion starts to brown, add 1/5 of the water. Continue to stir and cook until the liquid is gone and add 1/5 more water. Repeat until with the remaining water. Once the onion turns a golden brown color, add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the diced tomato with juices and stir. Cook until the tomato breaks down and thickens, about 5 mins. Add the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once no longer pink, add the soup. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 mins.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat to the pot with the onions, tomato, and beef. Add the curry and let sit for a couple minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon, making sure the curry has completely dissolved into the pot. Turn the heat back on to medium. Bring to a boil, then cook for 3 mins to thicken.

In a small frying pan over high heat, cook the 2 tomato slices (without oil) until browned around the edges, about 2 mins each.

Once the large pot comes to a boil, add the frozen udon and cook according to package instructions. Drain well. Divide among 2 large bowls, ladle the curry over the noodles. Top with tomato and green onions, if using.

I like that the ingredients for this recipe are accessible to those of us outside Japan, but I have to admit it was strange to eat somen this way. I’m used to eating it with a dashi-based soup so the basil and garlic really threw me. But after a few bites I found the flavors to be spot on. It had just the right amount of saltiness and the perfect hint of garlic. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the fragrant basil melded together beautifully. A simple, refreshing meal on an unusually hot autumn night!

On another note, I want to thank everyone who voted for me for the first round of Project Food Blog! Unfortunately, I didn’t make the cut, but hope you continue to check out all the amazing bloggers and vote for your favorites! This week’s voting ends September 30.

Chilled Tomato Somen
Adapted from Japanese Pure and Simple
Makes 4 servings

3 medium-sized tomatoes
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. shoyu
3-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 bunches somen
freshly ground black pepper
fresh basil, chiffonade

Make and “X” incision on the bottom of the tomatoes and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, or until the skin begins to peel. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Drain, then peel the skin off the tomatoes. Slice in half, remove all the seeds, chop, then transfer to a medium bowl. Add the grated garlic, salt, shoyu, and olive oil and mix. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Cook the somen in a pot of boiling water according to the package directions. After it’s cooked, drain, rinse under cold running water until cool, drain again, and put in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and toss. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with basil.

The meal comes together super quick, so pair it with a simple salad and it’s perfect for a weeknight. I used linguine, but the original recipe calls for fettucine.

Shiitake and Bacon Alfredo
Adapted from ケンタロウのおかずの王様
Makes 2 servings

4 dried shiitake
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 strips of bacon, sliced in 1/2 inch strips
between 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
7 oz. fettucine

Start by reconstituting the dried shiitake. Boil around 1 cup of water and pour over shiitake in a bowl. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Remove from water (be careful, it’s hot!) and gently squeeze some of the liquid out. Trim the tough stems and slice into 1/4 inch strips.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over low heat and add the garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant increase the heat to medium-low and add the bacon and the shiitake. Cook until the bacon has slightly browned. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt an pepper and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.

Cook fettucine according to package directions and add to the pan with alfredo sauce. Mix well until the pasta is well coated and serve.

Somen is a thin wheat noodle served in cold ice water. The tsuyu is very concentrated because the noodles don’t sit in the broth like hot udon or soba. Instead, you scoop some noodles, quickly dip in the tsuyu and tsuru tsuru! This is a very interactive meal that allows you to adjust the saltiness of the broth (thinning it out with water or adding more tsuyu) and add various toppings as you go.

I kept the toppings simple: thinly sliced cooked egg, mominori (crushed seaweed), wasabi, sesame, and green onion. The somen took 3 minutes to cook, the egg—cooked like a crepe—takes about the same amount of time, and the rest is just chopping. It’s a fast and hassle-free meal to prepare.

Somen
Makes 2 servings

Tsuyu (dipping sauce)
Between ⅓ to ½ cup dashi
1½ Tbsp. shoyu
1 Tbsp. mirin

Toppings
1 large egg, beaten
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 sheet of nori
1 tsp. sesame seeds
wasabi
oil

Combine the tsuyu ingredients and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until cold.

In a 10” nonstick skillet, heat ½ tsp of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, rub the pan with a paper towel to distribute the oil and wipe any excess.

Add the egg and tilt the pan so the bottom of the skillet is evenly covered. Cook until the egg firms up, but still looks wet on the surface. Carefully loosen the edges of the egg from the skillet and turn over. Immediately turn off the heat. Wait a minute for it to cook in the residual heat before transferring to a cutting board to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. While waiting, slice the egg round into quarters. Stack the quarters and slice thinly.

When the pot of water comes to a rolling boil, add two servings of somen (they usually come tied in 1-serving bunches). Cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, prepare a dish to hold the cooked somen. Add some ice cubes and water in a large, shallow bowl and set aside.

When the somen is finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water. Then, using your hands, gently rub the noodles together under running water to remove any excess starch. Drain, then add to the serving dish with ice water.

Pour dashi into small bowls and serve with somen and toppings.

Download recipe (PDF)