NOODLES & MAKERS
Explore ingredients, production methods and textures of champon and sara udon noodles, with knowledge from noodle makers and cooks.
STORIES IN THIS TOPIC
2026.09.03 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
Are noodles champon noodles simply because they are thick? We examine differences that appearance alone cannot show: ingredients, texture, and cooking method.
Read story2026.09.10 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
Thickness, moisture, frying, and structure determine how the noodles crunch, then soften beneath the sauce.
Read story2026.09.17 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
The condition in which noodles arrive affects storage, cooking time, handling, and their final texture.
Read story2026.09.24 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
Nagasaki wanted to grow wheat suited to its own champon noodles. Nagasaki W2 shows how the texture of a bowl begins long before the noodles reach the wok.
Read story2026.10.01 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
The fine fried noodles beneath sara udon's topping are more than a crunchy base. Their ingredient list can tell you about wheat, oil and kansui—though it cannot reveal every detail of how they were made.
Read story2026.10.08 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
Flour does not turn straight into a finished round noodle. Follow the dough through mixing, rolling, shaping, boiling and cooling in a noodle maker's published process.
Read story2026.10.13 Tuesday｜Try It in the Kitchen
The ‘thick’ noodles here are medium champon-style noodles, not oversized udon. Pan-sear them, then toss with toppings and a little broth. There is a quicker, no-chopping version too.
Read story2026.10.15 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
Open a pack and the fine fried noodles form a portion-sized piece. Its shape makes more sense when you consider cooking, packing and eating the dish.
Read story2026.10.19 Monday｜Start Here
A pale, cloudy broth is familiar, but color alone cannot define champon. Look at how the stock, stir-fried toppings and noodles come together.
Read story2026.10.22 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
Keep unused fried fine noodles dry, seal the pack and store it where that product's label directs. These are the practical steps that protect their crunch and flavor until the next serving.
Read story2026.10.23 Friday｜For Restaurants and Retailers
Champon's noodles and toppings finish in soup, yet some shops separate them for the journey. Ringer Hut's takeaway design shows why cooking and packing are two different decisions.
Read story2026.10.26 Monday｜Start Here
Hot, thickened toppings turn fried thin noodles soft where they meet, while the edges stay crisp. The first bite and the way you pour the sauce can give you both textures.
Read story2026.10.27 Tuesday｜Try It in the Kitchen
A two-serving thin-noodle Sara Udon with shiitake and shimeji. Follow a full pork-and-vegetable version or a shortcut using ready-cut vegetables and the noodles' sauce sachet.
Read story2026.10.29 Thursday｜Inside Noodle Making
'Aged' or 'matured' noodles are not automatically better because more time has passed. Here is what a dough-resting step may do and why the process differs by product.
Read story2026.10.30 Friday｜Ideas for Restaurants and Retail
Fried thin noodles and pan-cooked thick noodles can both be called Sara Udon, yet look and feel quite different. A few clear menu details help guests choose before ordering.
Read story2026.11.02 Monday｜Start with the basics
Not every champon noodle goes into the soup uncooked. Manufacturer instructions show why some products need a separate boiling step while others are cooked directly with the soup.
Read story2026.11.05 Thursday｜Inside noodle making
Pale yellow noodles do not necessarily contain egg. Here is how colour develops in Chinese-style noodles, and how to check ingredients that appearance alone cannot reveal.
Read story
