Kakiage Bukkake Udon Recipe

Kakiage Bukkake Udon is a cold udon noodle dish topped with a crispy vegetable Kakiage Tempura and finished with a generous pour of savory Mentsuyu sauce. The chewy chilled noodles soak up all that deep umami flavor, while the golden Kakiage adds a satisfying crunch on top. Rich enough to feel indulgent, yet refreshing enough for a hot summer day.

What’s Kakiage?

Kakiage is a type of Tempura in which multiple ingredients are gathered together and deep-fried in a wheat flour batter. The name is said to derive from the idea of “raking together” the ingredients before frying. Kakiage spread among ordinary people through the street stall culture of the Edo period, a few hundred years ago. Unlike Tempura, where premium ingredients are fried one by one, Kakiage was made by gathering cheap vegetable scraps and small pieces of seafood together — earning its reputation as the “common people’s Tempura.”

Typical ingredients include seafood such as small shrimp, clams, and squid, as well as vegetables like onion, Mitsuba (Japanese parsley), Gobo burdock root, carrot, and corn. Depending on the region, seasonal ingredients such as wild mountain vegetables and lotus root are also used. Kakiage is enjoyed in many ways: served as a dish on its own, over rice with a sweet and savory sauce as Kakiage-don (Tempura rice bowl), placed atop Udon or Soba noodles, or served as a side dish in bento boxes.

At Tempura restaurants, Kakiage is considered a true test of skill, as frying the mixture without it falling apart is the mark of a seasoned chef. It is also widely sold at supermarkets and even convenience stores, making it one of the most familiar fried foods in Japan. Because it tends to go soggy as it cools, Kakiage is best enjoyed fresh out of the fryer.

What’s Bukkake Udon?

Bukkake Udon is a style of udon dish where a small amount of concentrated sauce — known as Bukkake sauce — is poured directly over the noodles. Unlike regular Udon noodle soup, where the noodles are submerged in a generous amount of light broth, the defining feature of Bukkake Udon is that the sauce is poured straight onto the noodles. It is enjoyed both cold and warm. The name comes from the Japanese verb bukkakeru, meaning “to pour or splash something on with force,” which perfectly describes this simple but bold way of seasoning the noodles.

Bukkake Udon is said to have originated in Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture, where a restaurant is credited with first adding it to their menu in the 1980s. It later spread to Kagawa Prefecture, the heartland of Udon culture, and became known nationwide as one of the signature styles of Sanuki Udon. Today it is firmly established across Japan, largely through national Udon chain restaurants.

Unlike regular Udon noodle soup, Bukkake Udon uses a smaller amount of sauce at a more concentrated strength, poured directly over the noodles. This allows the texture and flavor of the noodles themselves to truly shine. One of the great appeals of Bukkake Udon is the freedom it offers when it comes to toppings. Classics include grated Daikon radish, green onion, Tenkasu (Tempura bits), and a soft-boiled egg. The combination with grated daikon is particularly well-suited, lending a clean and refreshing finish. As we are featuring the cold version here, the noodles and sauce are both served chilled — making it a quintessential summer dish.

Tips and substitutions for Kakiage Bukkake Udon

• We used chewy Sanuki-style frozen Udon noodles, but dried noodles or any other form of Udon work just as well. Cook according to the package instructions and make sure to chill the noodles thoroughly before assembling the dish.
• For the Mentsuyu sauce, we recommend mixing 1 part sauce with 2 parts water as a starting point, then adjusting the strength to your taste by adding more or less water. Short on time? Store-bought Mentsuyu sauce is a perfectly convenient option — just note that some are sold concentrated while others are ready-to-use straight from the bottle, so check the label before using.
• When it comes to Kakiage, feel free to get creative with the ingredients. Root vegetables like carrots and onions are classic choices, and firm vegetables such as green beans and asparagus work beautifully as well. Try to avoid vegetables with a high water content, like cucumbers or lettuce, as they tend not to hold up well in the batter.
• Enjoying this dish in the cooler months? No problem at all — simply serve everything hot instead. It is just as delicious warm as it is cold.

More recipes like Kakiage Bukkake Udon

• Mentsuyu
• Hiyashi Kitsune Udon
• Hiyashi Tanuki Udon
• Zarusoba
• Cold Natto Soba

Japanese Cooking 101

Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are originally from Japan and now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a passion for home cooking with fresh ingredients.
Together, Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and photograph their dishes, and film videos in their home kitchens.