Kitsune Udon

Osaka invention from the late 19th century. The name 'kitsune' (fox) comes from Inari, the Shinto rice deity whose fox messengers were said to favor aburaage as an offering at shrines. The Osaka version uses light, kombu-forward dashi (not the dark soy broth Tokyo prefers) so the sweet pouch reads against a clean savory base — same dish in Tokyo is darker, saltier.

Late-19th-century Osaka invention — the fox-name comes from Inari, the Shinto rice deity whose fox messengers were said to favor aburaage. Blanching the pouch first to strip oil is the step home cooks skip; the broth turns greasy without it.

Fat white udon in a clear, pale-amber dashi broth, topped with one or two sheets of aburaage — deep-fried tofu pouches simmered in soy, mirin, and sugar until they're sweet and saturated. Scallion goes on at the end. The pouch leaks sweet broth into the soup as you bite it; the noodles should be soft but still spring back.

The aburaage is the work — pouches must be blanched first to strip surface oil (or the broth turns greasy), then simmered in dashi, soy, mirin and sugar until they suck up liquid and go heavy. Skipping the blanch is the most common home mistake. The udon broth itself is shockingly simple: kombu, light bonito, usukuchi soy, mirin — restraint is the point.