Miso butter udon noodles
Easier-to-swallow option below ↓Miso whisked into melted butter102 kcal with a splash of starchy noodle water makes a sauce that clings to every strand instead of pooling under them. It is deeply savoury, which is often the flavour that gets an appetite moving when nothing sweet appeals.
The technique is an emulsion. Starchy cooking water binds the melted butter and miso into something glossy, so the sauce coats the noodles the way cacio e pepe coats spaghetti. Add the water a spoonful at a time and stop as soon as it clings.
We keep a tub of white miso in the fridge for exactly this bowl. It turns four tablespoons of butter into a finished sauce in under a minute.
Why it works
Soft wheat noodles go down easily on low-appetite days, and butter raises the energy in the bowl without raising its size. One serving adds around 620 calories, with the miso bringing the depth and salt a tired palate often wants.
Miso butter udon noodles
Ingredients
- 200 g udon or other thick wheat noodles
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1.5 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan110 kcal (optional, for body)
- Toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions, to finish
Method
- Cook the noodles in well-salted water until just tender. Scoop out a mug of the cooking water before you drain.
- In the same warm pot, melt the butter with the garlic over low heat.
- Whisk the miso into the butter with a splash of noodle water until smooth and glossy.
- Return the noodles and toss, adding more noodle water a spoonful at a time until the sauce clings. Finish with sesame oil, parmesan if using, sesame seeds, and scallions.
An extra tablespoon of butter or a soft-boiled egg72 kcal on top adds roughly 100-150 kcal and doesn't make the bowl any harder to finish.
Make it your own
- White miso is the gentlest. If you only have red, start with half the amount.
- A teaspoon of honey64 kcal rounds the sauce out if your miso runs sharp.
- Reheat it with a splash of water in a covered pan over low heat.
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