Name: Hakata udon (home recipe)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 300g udon noodles (fresh or frozen); 800ml ago dashi (flying fish stock) or bonito dashi; 30ml light shoyu; 10ml mirin; 2 burdock roots, peeled and cut into 12cm sticks; 100g plain flour; 100ml ice water; Neutral oil for frying; Sliced spring onion and shichimi togarashi, to serve

History

Hakata udon traces to the 13th century, when the priest Shoichi Kokushi brought milling technology back from China and a noodle culture spread through Hakata. The Fukuoka noodle is soft and yielding, polar opposite to the Sanuki udon (firm) of Shikoku. The broth is ago (flying fish) and bonito with light soy. Goboten (burdock-root tempura) is the canonical topping, made famous at Daichi no Udon and Ebisuya. Three big Fukuoka chains (Maki no Udon, Daichi no Udon, Manda Udon) cover the everyday market; Ebisuya runs the chef-led version at Sumiyoshi.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Fish

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 20 minTotal 40 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

300g udon noodles (fresh or frozen)
800ml ago dashi (flying fish stock) or bonito dashi
30ml light shoyu
10ml mirin
2 burdock roots, peeled and cut into 12cm sticks
100g plain flour
100ml ice water
Neutral oil for frying
Sliced spring onion and shichimi togarashi, to serve

Method

For the goboten: soak burdock sticks in cold water 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Whisk plain flour and ice water to a loose batter.
Heat 5cm neutral oil in a deep pan to 170C. Coat burdock in batter, fry 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Drain on paper.
Bring the dashi to a simmer, add shoyu and mirin.
Cook the udon noodles to package instruction, drain.
Divide noodles between two deep bowls, ladle hot dashi over. Lay goboten on top, scatter spring onion and shichimi. Serve immediately.

Tip from the editors. The udon is soft on purpose; do not overcook to firm Sanuki texture. The broth must taste of ago not soy.

Where to eat hakata udon

Hakata udon in Fukuoka

Daichi no Udon ★ 4.4

Japanese¥hakata

Daichi's Hakata Station-front shop runs the city's most-talked-about goboten udon: a tower of crispy burdock-root tempura over a bowl of soft Hakata noodles.

Signature: Goboten burdock tempura udon, Hakata soft noodles, Bukkake udon

Order: Goboten udon with a side bowl of rice for soaking the broth.

Tip: Open from 10:00 most days. The B2 station-area branch has the shortest queues.

Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0011, Japan

Maki no Udon Hakata Bus Terminal ★ 4.0

Japanese¥hakata

Maki no Udon is one of Fukuoka's three big udon chains. The Hakata Bus Terminal branch runs niku udon at 600 yen with cheap kashiwa rice on the side.

Try: Niku udon

Tip: Open from 07:00 most weekdays. Vending-machine tickets Cash is faster than card.

Hakata Bus Terminal, 2-1 Hakataeki-Chuogai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka

Manda Udon Tenjin ★ 4.1

Japanese¥tenjin

Manda's small Tenjin counter pours a soft Hakata-style udon with the city's better goboten burdock tempura, working lunch crowds through 800-yen bowls.

Signature: Hot bukkake udon, Goboten udon, Curry udon

Order: Goboten burdock-root tempura udon with a raw egg on top.

Tip: Open from 11:00 most days. Cash and IC card; turnover is fast.

Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0001, Japan

Ebisuya Udon Hakata Sumiyoshi ★ 4.4

Japanese¥hakata

Ebisuya Udon's Kalbi Bukkake bowl at 780 yen was the 2014 Japan Udon Championship runner-up. Flat Hakata noodles, kalbi beef, raw Mihoran egg.

Try: Kalbi bukkake udon

Tip: Closed Wednesdays. Lunch queues clear after 13:30.

Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0018, Japan

More cities are in research. Want hakata udon covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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