Beef Udon With Egg (Niku Tama Udon)

This Beef Udon with Egg (Niku Tama Udon) recipe features chewy udon noodles in a clear and light dashi broth with beef and onsen (tama) egg. It's inspired by Hawaii's Marugame Udon.

On our trip to Hawaii a few years ago, we enjoyed this Nikutama Udon from Marugame Udon for breakfast -- it was inexpensive, filling and delicious. 

I've always wanted to re-create it at home, and it's actually quite easy to make.

While there are many varieties of udon noodle soup, I wanted to make this particular Niku Tama Udon.

What is niku tama udon?

Niku means "meat" in Japanese.

Udon is a type of thick, chewy wheat noodles, commonly found in Japanese cuisine.

Tama refers to "egg" and is often prepared in a manner similar to poached eggs.

Why you'll love this recipe

It is a mildly seasoned, slurp-worthy, tasty bowl of noodles that will warm you up.

Each component is made from scratch.

Although there are various components to this recipe, it is straightforward to make. 

Ingredients you'll need

• dashi broth: is a simple, clear soup made with kombu (seaweed), bonito (fish) flakes and water
• onsen eggs: Japanese-style eggs cooked gently, similar to poached eggs
• sliced beef: seasoned with salty and sweet flavours; you can use ready-bought hot pot beef, or freeze the beef for 1-2 hours and use a sharp knife to make thin slices. I used beef chuck, but you can use ribeye as well. 
• udon noodles: is a thick, Japanese white-coloured wheat noodle; fresh or frozen is fine
• green onions: sliced
• sichimi togarashi: optional, a 7-spice mixture sprinkled on top of the udon

You can find the ingredients to make each component in an Asian/Japanese supermarket.

How to make the components

Make the dashi broth: (you can make this ahead of time)

In a large pot, add a piece of kombu (seaweed). [Don't rinse the kombu beforehand].

Cover with 4 C water.

Bring the water up to a simmer. (Don't boil the kombu or it will become slimy). Skim off any foam.

Remove the kombu.

Add in the bonito flakes. Bring it up to a simmer again, for about 30 seconds before turning off the heat.

Let the broth sit for 10 minutes before straining the liquid through a sieve.

You can discard the bonito flakes or make furikake (Japanese rice seasoning) with it. 

Transfer the broth to a glass jar and let cool. Place into the fridge until ready to use.

To make the soup:

Transfer the prepared dashi broth to a pot and heat to a simmer. [Season with soy sauce and mirin if desired -- instructions under "Substitutions" below.]

Keep the soup warm while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Make the onsen eggs:

Using a small saucepot (I used 1.5qt), add 800ml of water to it. (Be sure that the eggs can sit in the pot fully submerged).

Bring the water to a hard rolling boil.

Once boiling, remove from heat and add 125ml of cold water into the pot. 

Gently place 4 eggs (straight from the refrigerator) into the hot water. (You may want to use a slotted spoon to do this).

Set a timer for 15 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the pot. Set aside until ready to use.

For the beef:

Heat up 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add in the beef slices and cook, until no longer pink.

Season with soy sauce, sugar, and garlic powder.

Transfer to a plate and cover.

For the udon noodles:

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.

Cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions.

Drain the udon noodles in a colander and gently rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Assemble:

Portion the udon noodles into a serving bowl.

Ladle the hot soup broth over the noodles.

Add the cooked beef and crack in an onsen egg.

Garnish with green onions and togarashi spice (optional).

Enjoy immediately.

How to serve

It's best to serve the Beef Udon immediately, while the broth and noodles are hot.

How to store

You can prepare the components separately and store in the fridge until ready to assemble.

As mentioned previously, once the broth is ladled over the noodles, it's best to enjoy it right away. 

Otherwise, the udon noodles will swell and the texture will not be as enjoyable. 

Substitutions

If you want, you can omit the egg. This will be simply beef udon (niku udon).

You can substitute the beef for thin pork slices.

Or omit the meat for a simple kake udon. 

For soup flavoured with soy sauce:

Transfer the prepared dashi broth to a pot and heat to a simmer. 

Add in soy sauce and mirin and bring it to a boil.

Give it a taste and adjust accordingly with salt.

Other recipes you may like

If you love noodles, be sure to check out these recipes:

Instant Pot Beef Pho

Pork Mazesoba Ramen Noodles

Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Instant Pot)

Mom's Sarawak-Style Laksa

Cold Ramen Noodles (Hiyashi Chuka)

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Beef Udon with Egg (Niku Tama Udon)

This Beef Udon with Egg (Niku Tama Udon) recipe features chewy udon noodles in a clear dashi broth with beef and onsen (tama) egg. It's inspired by Hawaii's Marugame Udon.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Servings: 4

Calories: 845kcal

Author: Michelle

For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

Ingredients

Dashi broth:

• 1 large piece kombu
• ½ C bonito flakes
• 4 C filtered water

Soup:

• 4 C dashi broth (from above)

With soy sauce flavour: (optional)

• 1.5 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon mirin

Onsen eggs:

• 800 ml water brought to a boil
• 125 ml cold water
• 4 large eggs kept refrigerated

Beef:

• 1 tablespoon avocado/vegetable oil
• 210 g sliced beef beef chuck or ribeye
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Noodles:

• 600 g udon noodles frozen or fresh

Garnish:

• 2 stalks green onions sliced
• shichimi togarashi

Instructions

Make the dashi broth: (you can make this ahead of time)

• In a large pot, add a piece of kombu (seaweed).
• Cover with 4 C water.
• Bring the water up to a simmer. (Don't boil the kombu or it will become slimy). Skim off any foam.
• Remove the kombu.
• Add in the bonito flakes. Bring it up to a simmer again, for about 30 seconds before turning off the heat.
• Let the broth sit for 10 minutes before straining the liquid through a sieve.
• You can discard the bonito flakes or make furikake with it.
• Transfer the broth to a glass jar and let cool. Place into the fridge until ready to use.

To make the soup:

• Transfer the prepared dashi broth to a pot and heat to a simmer.
• Keep the soup warm while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

For a soup flavoured with soy sauce:

• Transfer the prepared dashi broth to a pot and heat to a simmer. 
• Add in soy sauce and mirin and bring it to a boil.
• Give it a taste and adjust accordingly with salt.

Make the onsen eggs:

• Using a small saucepot (I used 1.5qt), add 800ml of water to it. (Be sure that the eggs can sit in the pot fully submerged).
• Bring the water to a hard rolling boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add 250ml of cold water into the pot.
• Gently place 4 eggs (straight from the refrigerator) into the hot water. (You may want to use a slotted spoon to do this).
• Set a timer for 15 minutes.
• Remove the eggs from the pot. Set aside until ready to use.

For the beef:

• Heat up 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Add in the beef slices and cook, until no longer pink.
• Season with soy sauce, sugar, and garlic powder.
• Transfer to a plate and cover.

For the udon noodles:

• Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.
• Cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions.
• Drain the udon noodles in a colander and gently rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Assemble:

• Portion the udon noodles into a serving bowl.
• Ladle the hot soup broth over the noodles.
• Add the cooked beef and crack in an onsen egg.
• Garnish with green onions and togarashi spice (optional).
• Enjoy immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 845kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 67g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 237mg | Sodium: 3983mg | Potassium: 745mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 341IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 274mg | Iron: 3mg

The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

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Adapted from Just One Cookbook.