A cozy onion broth udon inspired by a bowl I used to order during my Wall Street days — now a family favorite. Sweet onions, smoky bacon, mushroom “noodles,” tender shabu-shabu beef, and a quick 국밥 twist for the leftovers.
A cold-weather bowl built on caramelized onions, smoky broth, mushroom “noodles,” and paper-thin beef.
When I conceived this dish, I was thinking about a beef udon soup I used to order back when I worked on Wall Street. I remembered that broth so clearly — sweet, oniony, comforting in a way that stays with you. And then I started thinking about French onion soup too, how deep and rich that flavor is. This bowl is a combination of those two ideas.
Now it’s a family favorite for us. My daughter loves the noodles, my son goes straight for the beef, and my wife enjoys all the extras floating in the broth. It’s simple, familiar, and deeply satisfying — the kind of meal that comes together fast but feels like it’s been simmering in your memory for years.
Ingredients
For the Beef
1/2 lb Angus Prime Top Blade, shabu-shabu thin
• 2 scallions, sliced
• Soy sauce (1–2 tbsp)
• Honey (1 tsp)
• Mirin (1 tbsp)
• Salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
For the Broth
5–6 small red onions, mandolin-sliced
1 bunch scallions
whites for the broth base
long greens for simmering
sliced greens for garnish
8 tablespoons Kerrygold butter
3 slices smoked bacon (kept whole)
1 envelope (60 g) HonDashi
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
12 cups water
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon hoisin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Juice of ½ lemon
Optional: baby spinach (added after the bacon is removed)
5–6 small red onions, mandolin sliced
1 bunch scallions (whites for broth base, long greens for simmering, sliced greens for garnish)
Add-Ins
2 king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise into thin “noodles”
• Optional: matchstick-sliced russet potato
Noodles
Udon noodles (fresh or frozen; boil about 4 minutes)
Steps
1. Marinate the Beef
Add the sliced beef to a bowl with onion, scallions, soy sauce, honey, mirin, salt, and pepper.
Mix gently and let marinate for 10–15 minutes. Start the soup now.
Cook over low heat until just done and glossy.
Set aside.
2. Build the Onion Broth
The Onions (This Is the Soul of the Dish)
💡
The depth of this soup lives and dies with the onions. Take your time here.
I like to use a mandoline for consistency. Set it to 3/16-inch, which gives you onions thin enough to melt down evenly without disappearing. Be careful—mandolines are sharp. Keep your hand well clear of the blade and use a guard whenever possible.
Step-by-Step Onion Method
Slice the onions
Thinly slice all of your onions on the mandoline and transfer them to a large bowl. You’ll have a huge pile—don’t worry, they cook down dramatically.
Melt the butter
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt 8 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add onions and salt
Add the sliced onions all at once along with a big pinch of kosher salt. Stir to coat everything evenly in butter.
Cover and sweat
Cover the pot and let the onions sweat gently. This stage is about drawing out moisture, not browning.
Every few minutes, lift the lid and move the onions on the bottom up to the top so they cook evenly.
Let them cook this way for about 30 minutes, until they are deeply reduced and sitting in a generous pool of onion liquid.
Uncover and concentrate
Remove the lid and raise the heat slightly (medium to medium-high). Now the onions need more attention.
Stir every minute or so to prevent scorching.
Over the next 10 minutes, the liquid will evaporate and the onions will begin to caramelize.
Finish the caramelization
You’re looking for onions that are soft, jammy, and lightly caramelized, with a sweet, savory aroma and no excess liquid left in the pot. This concentrated onion base is what gives the broth its depth and soul.
Pour in 12 cups of water.
Add the whole bacon slices and the Better Than Bouillon vegetable base; stir to melt and blend.
Add the HonDashi and long scallion greens.
Season with mirin, hoisin, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.
Add the sliced king oyster mushroom “noodles.”
Bring everything to a rolling boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add matchstick potatoes during the simmer if using.
Remove bacon.
Add baby spinach and stir until wilted.
Finish with fresh lemon juice.
3. Cook the Udon
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Cook udon noodles for about 4 minutes.
Drain and portion into serving bowls.
4. Assembly
Add cooked udon to bowls.
Ladle hot onion broth over the noodles.
Spoon in the vegetables from the broth (onions, mushrooms, scallions, spinach).
Add the cooked beef on top.
Sprinkle sliced scallions.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Leftover Move: The Onion Broth 국밥 Hack
If you’ve got leftover broth and leftover nacho-style ground beef (your seasoned ground beef mixed with beans), combine them and reheat. Add a big scoop of cooked Korean rice.
It becomes a quick, hearty bowl of 국밥 — a comfort move you’ll use more than once.
Kitchen Notes
Keep the bacon whole — it acts like a flavor packet.
• King oyster mushrooms sliced like noodles add amazing texture.
• Matchstick potatoes make the broth heartier without weighing it down.
This stew tastes like it came out of a French countryside kitchen — tender pork, smoky kielbasa, sweet carrots, and cabbage simmered low and slow with herbes de Provence. It’s rustic, hearty, and the kind of bowl that makes you slow down and enjoy the moment.
A warming, deeply satisfying ramen that takes the humble Shin Gold packet and turns it into something special with tender grilled chicken, roasted corn, creamy beans, and silky egg noodles.
Level up your ramen game with this Shin Black Banger—loaded with sweet cabbage, broccoli, red onion, silky egg ribbons, and melted American cheese. Spicy, creamy, and ready in 10 minutes.
Made with Bullet