A wide variety of dishes are prepared. There are two types of names: one is based on the method of cooking and eating, and the other is based on the ingredients (additives, seeds, and condiments) that are placed on top of the dish.
Types according to cooking and eating methods
There are various kinds of condiments and ingredients depending on the region or restaurant.

Zaru Udon

Kake Udon

Udon noodles with dipping sauce
Kake Udon and Soba Udon
See “Kakesoba” for details.
Udon noodles served in a bowl with hot dipping sauce. In the Kanto region, it is not called “kake-udon” if it is topped with other than condiments (mainly chopped onion), or if it is topped with other ingredients. In western Japan (excluding Kagawa Prefecture), it is called “su-udon” and often includes some kind of garnish such as grated kelp or thinly sliced fish paste.
To taste the aroma of the broth, use light soy sauce; to taste the richness of the broth, use dark soy sauce.
Zaru Udon
Boiled noodles, cooled in cold water, and served in a colander or other container. It is dipped in tsuyu (sauce) and eaten. It is also called mori udon, but like zaru soba, it is sometimes distinguished by the presence or absence of chopped nori (seaweed). The condiments used for this dish can be broadly classified into wasabi, which is common in eastern Japan, and ginger, which is common in western Japan.
Bukkake Udon
Udon noodles are boiled, drained, placed in a bowl, and topped with soy sauce or a small amount of tsuyu (soy sauce). It is sometimes called “bukkake with meat” or “bukkake with meat” after the name of the ingredient.
Kamaage Udon
See “Kamaage Udon” for details.
Udon noodles are eaten boiled, without being soaked in water, dipped in tsuyu (dipping sauce) or directly poured over with soy sauce. Udon noodles with a raw egg are called “kamatama udon. Udon noodles that have been soaked in water and then served in hot water are called “yudame udon.
Tsukejiru Udon
See “Tsukejiru Udon” for details.
Boiled noodles are placed in a bowl and dipped in a broth in which pork, mushrooms, etc. are simmered. Also called “udon with dipping sauce” or “udon with soup”.
Nikomi Udon
See “Nikomi Udon” for details.
Noodles simmered in a broth.
Yaki Udon
See “Yaki Udon” for details.
Udon noodles stir-fried and cooked.
Types of udon noodles depending on the topping (additives, seeds, and condiments).
Kitsune Udon
See “Kitsune (Noodles)” for details.

Kitsune Udon
Udon noodles topped with sweetened deep-fried tofu. It is also called “kitsune” or “shinoda” depending on the region. In the Kinki region, the expression “kitsune udon” is not often used, as “kitsune” means “topped with deep-fried tofu.
Kizami Udon
Udon noodles with thinly sliced, oil-removed thinly sliced deep-fried tofu on top. Usually, the thinly sliced deep-fried tofu is not seasoned. In the Kinki region, it is served as a separate menu item from “kitsune,” but in Kyoto City, it is usually served as kitsune udon. Makanaisan at Maiko’s house

KIZAMI UDON
Tsukimi Udon
Kake udon with a raw egg dropped on top. It is called tsukimi because the egg white (white meat) looks like a cloud and the egg yolk (yolk) looks like the moon. Sometimes a sheet of nori (seaweed) is placed on top of the udon to resemble the night sky.
Yamakake Udon
Udon noodles topped with grated yam and other ingredients. There are also other types such as bukkake and chilled udon. It is often topped with a raw egg and chopped nori. It is also called “Tororo Udon” in some areas.
Stir-Fried Udon
Also called “tamago (egg) toji udon”. The surface of the bowl is covered with a half-boiled egg. When chicken is also used and the head of the chicken is the same as the head of oyako-don, it is also called “oyako udon”.
Tempura Udon

Tempura Udon
Udon with tempura (shrimp, squid, etc.) or kakiage on top. Unless otherwise specified, shrimp tempura is used at most soba noodle restaurants, and kakiage is used at stand-up restaurants. Udon with kakiage is sometimes called “kakiage udon. In the Kansai region, standing-eateries often offer two types of udon: “tempura,” which contains few ingredients, and “kakiage,” which is mostly vegetables. In some areas, udon with satsuma-age on top is called tempura udon.
Tanuki Udon
See “Tanuki (Noodles)” for details.
Ingredients differ greatly depending on the region. In the Kanto region, it is called “udon” with tenkasu (deep-fried bean curd) sprinkled on top. In Kyoto, it is called “udon” with shredded deep-fried tofu, topped with kuzu-an (bean paste) and grated ginger, while in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, it is called “inari-an-kake udon”. In Osaka and northern Kyushu, it is called “haikara udon,” but since many restaurants offer leek and tenkasu as free toppings, it is recognized as one of the bare udon options offered. In Osaka and Kobe, “tanuki” generally refers to soba noodles topped with deep-fried tofu.
Chikara Udon

Chikara Udon
A type of udon with a rice cake filling. It is often combined with other ingredients. Usually topped with grilled rice cake. The term “kachin udon” or “kacchin udon,” as it is called in the Kinki region, comes from the wives’ word “okachin,” which refers to “rice cake.
Kayaku udon, Gomoku udon, Okame udon
Kayaku udon is a type of udon with several kinds of ingredients called “tane-mono” or “kayaku. The ingredients can vary from mushrooms, spinach, chicken, etc. It is also called “Gomoku Udon” (udon with “gomoku”). Udon with a particularly large number of ingredients (eight or more) are sometimes called “okame udon” (derived from “okame hachime”) in some areas of Tokyo and western Japan. Okame udon originally originated in Ota-an, Tokyo, and was originally a soba (buckwheat noodle) dish, with ingredients such as matsutake mushrooms, yuba (bean curd), and fish paste arranged to resemble the face of an okame. Nowadays, ingredients other than kamaboko are often omitted or replaced with other ingredients. The ingredients are often called “kayaku” in Kansai. In the Kanto region, the ingredients are called “tamenomono”.
Takuboku Udon
It is similar to Gomoku Udon above, but the ingredients and soup differ depending on the region. It is most common in Kagawa and Kyoto, and there is also a type of udon in Yamagata called “suppo-ko-udon”, which is thought to be an accent of “shiboku”. In Kyoto, table udon is topped with simmered shiitake mushrooms, fish paste, yuba (bean curd), fu (wheat gluten), and sanba (three leaves). In Kagawa, it is also a winter menu. It was originally invented in the Keihan area in the Edo period (1603-1867) under the influence of Fukushi cuisine.
Ankake Udon
Udon noodles with a thickened bean paste made by adding kuzu flour, potato starch, etc., to the sauce. In Kyoto, “tanuki udon” is udon topped with shredded deep-fried tofu, topped with kuzu-an (bean paste) and garnished with grated ginger. The udon with beaten egg mixed into the bean paste is called “Keiran Udon”.
Odamaki Udon

Odamaki Udon
A steamed egg custard with noodles added. While chawanmushi with udon is called “odamaki steamed egg custard,” this one is made mainly with noodles. Odamaki” is often written in Chinese characters as “odamaki,” but there is a theory that it was named “ramie” because of its resemblance to a ball of hemp thread wound like a hollow ball. Although it was an expensive item, it was widely offered in Osaka until the Taisho period (1912-1926). However, it was disliked for the time and effort required to prepare it, and nowadays, it is rarely found on regular menus.
Curry Udon
See “Curry Udon” for details.

Nagoya Curry Udon served at Wakashachi-ya
Curry Udon or Curry Nanban Udon (or Curry Nanba in some regions) is a dish similar to Curry Nanban in soba noodles. There are various types of udon: curry flavored by adding curry powder to dashi broth, Japanese-style curry spread with dashi broth as the dipping sauce, or curry for curry rice poured directly over boiled noodles or with warm noodle soup.
The most common type of udon noodle soup is based on Japanese-style dashi (soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and other ingredients used in udon noodles), mixed with curry powder and thickened with potato starch, and served over udon noodles.
The origin of this dish is said to be Misasa-an near Waseda University. Around 1935, this dish was more popular than curry rice, and many companies sold “nanban curry powder”. There are many variations with different ingredients and cooking methods depending on the region. Nanban is a curry-flavored sauce made with bonito flakes and other dashi broth and leeks. There is also a “chilled” version, and in some regions, such as Nagoya Curry Udon and Toyohashi Curry Udon, it has become an original dish to revitalize the town.
Duck Nanban, Chicken Nanban, Kashiwa Udon
Udon noodles are made from “nanban” noodles. In some areas, chicken is often used as “Kamonanban” or “Kamonanba”. In western Japan, where white onions were not widely available, green onions are often sliced diagonally.
Meat udon

Meat udon

Meat udon
A filling of beef or pork stewed in a sweet and spicy sauce. As an example, Yoshida’s udon, a local delicacy, uses mainly horse meat.
Generally, thinly sliced meat (shredded meat) is used, but in Kitakyushu City (mainly Kokura Kita and Kokura Minami wards), there is a type of meat udon called “Dokidogi Udon” (udon with doki-doki), which uses beef cheeks and beef tendons cut into cubes.
Other ways to eat udon
Nabeyaki udon
Udon cooked in an earthenware pot. Usually, many kinds of ingredients are used, such as tempura, eggs, fish cakes, chicken, and vegetables.
Miso Nikomi Udon
A dish in which the soup is made with miso and simmered in an earthenware pot or the like. The dish using soybean miso is considered to be a local dish of Aichi Prefecture. In addition, other regions also offer udon noodles made with miso unique to each region, and they are sometimes called “udon noodles stewed in country style” or “country-style udon noodles stewed in miso.

Himeji Champon-yaki (Uamaimon Yokocho)
Yaki Udon
A yakisoba-like dish. It is seasoned with soy sauce, miso or Worcestershire sauce. In some areas, dried noodles are used.
Champon-yaki
A local delicacy originating in Himeji City, this dish is a mix of yakiudon and yakisoba. The texture of the combination of noodles of different thicknesses has been featured several times on TV programs as a new sensation.
Udon suki
This is a dish in the style of Yose-nabe, but the main ingredient is noodles. It is often eaten in the Kinki region.
Aged Udon
Deep-fried udon noodles, similar to deep-fried soba noodles, are often eaten with beer or as a snack.
Salad
It is sometimes made into a salad by combining it with vegetables and drizzling a dressing over it.
Sara udon is a noodle dish that does not use udon noodles, although the word “udon” is used in the name.