This curry udon is a great dish to make when you want something rich, filling, and deeply flavorful in a hurry. Instant Japanese curry cubes give the soup broth a massive dose of savory, aromatic complexity while pork belly and dried udon noodles add richness and body. Since those curry cubes are available in a variety of heat levels, you can customize your batch to your preferred heat level for a bowl of soup that's sure to satisfy to the very last spoonful. 

　　This recipe was excerpted from 'Tokyo Cult Recipes' by Maori Murota. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more of our favorite Japanese soup recipes →

　　All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

　　

What you’ll need

　　Chevron

　　Chevron

　　Japanese Curry Sauce Mix (Medium)

　　$4 At Weee!

　　Dried Udon

　　$5 At Weee!

　　Instant Dashi

　　$5 At Weee!

　　Mirin

　　$21 $20 At Amazon

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　200 g (7 oz) pork belly, thinly sliced

　　1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

　　1 onion, cut into ¼ inch slices

　　1.2 liters (about 5 cups) dashi, homemade or store-bought

　　1 Tbsp. mirin

　　1 Tbsp. soy sauce

　　4 cubes Japanese curry sauce mix (mild, medium, or hot)

　　320 g (11¼ oz) dried udon noodles, or 4 packets pre-cooked udon

　　Finely chopped spring onion (scallion)

　　

Step 1

Cut the slices of pork into 1¼ inch pieces. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat and sauté the pork until the meat turns pale. Add the onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the dashi, mirin and soy sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onion is tender. Crumble the curry sauce mix cubes and add them to the pan. Cook, stirring regularly, for another 3 minutes until the curry sauce mix blends into the soup and thickens it.

　　

Step 2

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the noodles and divide between four bowls. Pour the soup over the noodles. Garnish with spring onion and serve immediately.

　　Excerpted from Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota. Copyright © 2016 by Maori Murota. Reprinted courtesy of Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from Amazon.