Chilled Udon with Soy Milk Broth and Kimchi

Name: Chilled Udon with Soy Milk Broth and Kimchi
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 portions frozen udon; 200 ml soy milk; 2 tablespoons concentrated mentsuyu; Korean cabbage kimchi, to taste; a drizzle of Chinese chili oil; green onion, thinly sliced; nori (dried seaweed sheets), shredded

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

These chilled and chewy udon noodles are served in a deliciously refreshing soy milk broth and topped with spicy kimchi, green onions, and nori. This dish takes just minutes to make and will come to your rescue on the hottest days of summer. Be warned, you may need to stock up on kimchi to have this dish on hand all summer long.

Overhead shot of chilled udon with a soy milk broth and kimchi in a flower-decorated serving bowl.

The chilled broth is so refreshing and the kimchi gives it the perfect, invigorating zing. This is a great example of a Japanese-fusion dish; combining traditional udon with foreign flavours.

This recipe is a chilled variation of creamy kimchi udon, so if you're looking for warm noodles with tender pieces of pork belly you should head over there.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tip for Success
📖 Recipe
FAQ

A close up of udon noodles in a soy milk broth.

Ingredients

Frozen udon
Soy milk (I like using Silk brand unsweetened soy milk)
Concentrated mentsuyu - this is a condensed form of mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup base) with more flavour packed into less liquid.
Kimchi
Chinese chili oil
Green onion
Nori (Japanese dried seaweed sheets)

See the recipe card below for quantities.

Instructions

Please note that the images below were taken of the preparation of just one serving of chilled udon. If making two or more servings, simply divide the ingredients evenly into individual serving bowls.

Prepped ingredients in dishes decorated with painted birds.

Prep by mixing together the soy milk and mentsuyu in a bowl, cutting the kimchi into easy to eat pieces, shredding the nori, and thinly slicing the green onion on a diagonal.

Udon in a sieve being rinsed with cold water.

Cook the frozen udon according to package direction. Strain and rinse under cold water until cool.

Place the chilled udon into serving bowls.

Udon in a soy milk broth in a serving bowl.

Pour the soy milk / concentrated mentsuyu mixture into the bowls of udon.

Kimchi on top of udon in a soy milk broth.

Top the udon with your desired amount of kimchi. I love the stuff so I load my bowl up.

Chilled udon with soy milk broth and kimchi, garnished with nori and green onion in a serving bowl.

Garnish the udon with green onion and nori, and drizzle the surrounding broth with some Chinese chili oil.

Note: I personally find that the soy milk has a lessening effect on the spiciness of the kimchi and chili oil. So if you have a low spice tolerance, you may really enjoy this dish as is. And if you love heat you may be wanting to add more kimchi and chili oil. But its always a good idea to taste test before adding more!

Chopsticks resting on a bowl of chilled udon with soy milk broth and kimchi.

Substitutions

Soy milk has a unique flavour that stands out in this chilled udon dish, so substituting it with anything else will affect the results. However, if you have a soy intolerance and cannot use it, I recommend using dairy. I have not tested this recipe using almond milk or coconut milk, but those are some other possibilities that you could try.

Variations

Love the idea of kimchi udon but looking for something warm and savoury? Try my creamy kimchi udon recipe - it's simply delicious.

Equipment

To make this recipe, you will need a pot for boiling the udon, as well as a sieve or colander for straining and rinsing it with cold water.

Storage

This chilled udon dish does not store well so I recommend making it immediately before enjoying. Luckily, it takes just minutes to make! Perfect for those hot and lazy summer days when the last thing you want to do is toil over the stove.

Chopsticks twirled in a bowl of udon noodles.

Tip for Success

Because this is a simple dish that relies on the quality of its few ingredients, I recommend using a high quality soy milk and udon noodles for the best outcome.

📖 Recipe