Start eating as soon as it is served—and enjoy the change
Thin-noodle Sara Udon is made by spooning hot toppings in a thickened sauce over fried noodles. Just after serving, noodles around the edge that have not touched the sauce break with a light crunch. As you eat, noodles in the center absorb sauce and become softer. Neither texture is the one correct way to eat it.
For a crunch, start at the edge immediately. For a softer bite, gradually bring noodles and sauce together. Mixing the whole plate vigorously at once leaves little dry noodle to enjoy later. Try a bite from each area first.
Spoon the sauce into the center and leave an edge
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture describes a similar sequence: arrange the noodles on a plate, then pour the finished toppings and sauce over them. At home, start in the center and leave some fried noodles uncovered around the rim. Our basic thin-noodle Sara Udon recipe shows how to finish the toppings and sauce together and serve them hot.
Too little sauce will barely reach the noodles; too much will quickly cover the whole plate. Quantity and plating affect texture as much as noodle type. For takeaway served with sauce separately, pour it on just before eating to delay the change during transport.
Choose where the first bite comes from
Packaged fried noodles and sauce mixes differ. Marutai's Nagasaki Sara Udon, for example, pairs fried thin noodles with a soup thickened with starch. If using a packet, follow its specified water quantity and method first; experiment with plating once it is ready.
If you like Worcestershire-style sauce or mustard, taste the change on one bite before mixing it across the plate. Why people put sauce on Sara Udon in Nagasaki explains the background to that custom.
- For crunch: take a little uncovered noodle from outside the sauce with some toppings.
- For softness: loosen the noodles in the sauced center and start there.
- For both: alternate between center and edge as the texture changes.
Serve hot: the changing texture is part of the dish
The aim is not to keep every noodle dry until the last bite. On one plate, the initial light crunch gives way to noodles softened by sauce. Put fried noodles on the plates just before the toppings are ready, then serve as soon as the hot sauce is added.
On a platter for sharing, leave everyone access to both center and edge. Different preferences can then fit at the same table. The pleasure of thin-noodle Sara Udon lies partly in choosing where to take that first bite.
