How To Make Breakfast Udon Noodles

Satisfy your cravings and get Whisked Away with Georgia, destination: Japan.

This is an English-Japanese fusion brunch dish, inspired by Koya Bar in Soho, London, where I used to live. Often, I would queue around the block for this dish, amongst insider foodies, fashionistas and hungover musicians. This version may seem bizarre at first glance, but when you think about it, many Japanese udon bowls come with an egg and some sort of meat, so it’s not too far off from the traditional. I have included a recipe for Shoyu Tamago (Japanese soy sauce eggs) which needs to be made at least 2 hours in advance but if you are short of time, a standard soft-boiled egg will do the trick.

Shop the look

You can serve with green tea but, for something stronger, I recommend sake – Mutemuka Shuzo Nama Genshu is a great choice for this dish.

Udon Breakfast noodles: serves 4
400g Udon noodles
12 dried Shittake mushrooms
1.5 litres hot vegetable or bone broth / stock
2 sachets Dashi powder (around 12g)
2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
2 bok choy, rinsed and stalks trimmed
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 spring onions, chopped
Soya sauce to taste
4-8 bacon rashes (depending on size), cooked until crispy
6 large eggs, soft-boiled (or see Shoyu Tamago recipe below)
Sesame seeds, optional
Chilli flakes, optional

Shoyu Tamago (Japanese Soy Sauce Egg)
6 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
150 ml soy sauce
6 large eggs (it’s always nice to have a few extras)

For the Shoyu Tamago (Japanese Soy Sauce Egg)
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully put the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Transfer to ice bath or run under ice cold water until cool. Peel the eggs in the water as this will help them keep a perfect exterior.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the water and sugar to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the sherry vinegar and soy sauce.
3. Transfer the peeled eggs to the soy sauce mixture and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, making sure they are completely submerged. If necessary, top the eggs with a small plate to ensure they are covered. Before serving remove the eggs from the marinade, cut in half lengthways and season with salt and pepper.

For the dried shiitake mushrooms
1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes. They should almost double in size. Drain but keep liquid.
2. Discard the stems – they’re too tough to eat. Slice the mushrooms.
3. Add both the mushrooms and their liquid to the broth.

For the Breakfast Udon Noodles
1. Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions, drain and set aside. Prepare the crispy bacon.
2. In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil and stir in the dashi, dried wakame (which will double in size after a few minutes), shiitake mushrooms and their liquid, and bok choy.
3. Place the miso paste in a medium bowl. Add a ladleful of hot broth. Whisk until the miso is completely dissolved, then pour the entire miso mixture into the pot with the soup. Do not boil the soup with the miso, as the miso will become gritty. Add soya sauce to taste. Stir in the noodles and spring onions.
4. Divide between 4 large bowls, adding bacon and eggs to each serving. Top with chilli flakes and sesame seeds, and enjoy.

Whisked Away is a series by food writer and enthusiast Georgia Bateman. Unable to travel like she used to, Georgia is dreaming of places and food from around the world. Her recipes are inspired by these destinations but not intended to be true representations of local dishes.