Easy Kimchi Udon Soup Recipe

korean ramen pot filled with kimchi udon noodle soup

5 from 1 vote

Another easy and delicious udon recipe that can be made in 10 minutes: Kimchi Udon Soup! Thick and chewy udon noodles and an umami-filled, spicy broth. The simple addition of kimchi to the hot broth adds so much flavor! For extra protein, poach an egg directly into the broth. If you have it, fried beancurd or yubu is also a nice touch. The perfect bowl of comfort!

Prep Time2

Cook Time8

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese, Korean

Keyword: Kimchi, Noodles, Soup, Udon

Servings:

Calories: 514kcal

Author: Lis Lam

Equipment

1 Korean ramen pot or medium saucepan
small ramekin or small bowl
tongs

Ingredients

2 cups water
1/2 cup kimchi *preferably OLD kimchi
1/2 Tbsp instant dashi powder *I use Hondashi
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1 block frozen Sanuki udon noodles
1 egg
1 green onion *chopped
1 fried bean curd *optional

Instructions

Make broth. In a small pot, add cold water, dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin, and kimchi. If using, add the fried beancurd or yubu as well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer until the kimchi has softened and the flavors have melded, about 3-4 minutes.
Add frozen noodles. Turn up the heat to medium. When the broth is bubbling, add the frozen udon noodles. Gently loosen the noodles with tongs as they defrost in the hot broth, about 2 minutes.
Poach egg. When the noodles are loose, it's time to cook the poached egg directly into the broth. Crack an egg into a small ramekin or bowl. Add the raw egg to the center of the bubbling broth. Close tightly with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until the egg is poached to your liking. For me, 2 minutes leaves the perfect runny poached egg.
Serve. Garnish with green onion and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tips:

- Cook in a Korean ramen pot. For one portion, use a Korean ramen pot (affiliate). It is made from aluminum and heats up very quickly. It makes it very easy to transfer from stovetop to table.

- Use OLD kimchi. This is the perfect recipe for the old kimchi in the back of your fridge. When cooked, old kimchi tastes deeply delicious and adds so much flavor to the broth. New kimchi won't taste as good in the broth.

- Swap with coconut milk. For a creamy broth, swap the water with a can of coconut milk. Note: one can of coconut milk (400ml, 13.5oz) measures 1 3/4 cup of coconut milk. Top off with 1/4 cup of water to make 2 cups of liquid.
- Do not overcook the noodles. To keep the texture of the bouncy udon noodles, be careful not to overcook. The frozen Sanuki-style udon noodles are pre-cooked and only need a few minutes to achieve the right chewy texture.
- Adjust spice level. Kimchi Udon is mildly spicy. To increase the spice level, add 1 Tbsp of Gochujang or Korean hot pepper paste to the broth. To make it less spicy, add less kimchi.
- Make a larger portion. For more than one serving, use a larger cooking pot. Multiply the ingredients and cook in one pot. To serve, divide the cooked noodles, poached eggs, and broth equally among bowls.

Nutrition