🍜 Plate Udon

A specialty of Nagasaki, “plate udon” is a noodle based dish renowned throughout Japan. “Plate udon” was created in 1899 (Meiji 32) when Jun Chinhei, the owner of Chinese restaurant Shikairō which first invented the noodle dish known as “chanpon”, made chanpon without the broth. From that distinctive flavor and experience he refined the dish, which in later years would become a noodle dish renown throughout the country alongside “chanpon”. “The original plate udon” passed down uses the same thick noodles as chanpon and is essentially a chanpon stir fry. It is almost a completely different dish from the plate udon made in more recent years which uses thin, crunchy noodles and has the mix of ingredients covered in a thick sauce. The residents of Nagasaki explicitly differentiate these two, the former being referred to as “thick plate udon” and the latter as “thin plate udon.” Furthermore, the name “plate udon” comes from the fact that at the time of its inception, it was standard practice to serve noodles in a wooden or porcelain bowl or other deep vessel. The dish appearing on a plate aroused much surprise, and the name is said to stem from there.