When I lived in Japan, I used to teach children about Australian culture in order for them for learn English. My first job was at a juku school which is an after-school school. It was an easy job for me and sometime during five to nine pm, I would come out and do a short one hour lesson including a question and answer session where the kids would ask me questions. The questions were all quite similar with questions like “What is your favourite colour?” and “What is your favourite animal?” All of the children were delightful but one day I managed to shock them.
One girl asked me “What is your favourite season?” and I answered, “that’s easy, summer.” She then asked me why I liked summer and I answered that it was because of the warmth and that I liked getting the extra hour of daylight through “Daylight Savings”. There was a puzzled murmur around the room and students quietly looked at each other and the teacher. The main teacher was curious too so he asked me to explain what Daylight Savings was.
“Well we basically change the time to go backwards so we get a few hours of extra daylight in summer” I said, explaining it not very well. Shock registered across the room and the students seemed appalled at the very idea – albeit politely. I tried to explain. “It’s not like we actually change the time, I mean we do but…well it gets dark later and that’s rather nice…?” I said digging a hole further. Now that I’d established that Australia is the land of those who change time to get more sunshine I never quite got them on my side. Oh well!
Sometime during those four hours I would have my dinner break. My favourite past time was going to the convenience store to see what was on offer. Convenience stores in Japan are so much more fun than any here. There are so many things to eat, see and buy and I usually found something interesting to eat there whether it was a colourful bento box or a Kit Kat in an unusual flavour. Sometimes I would buy udon noodles which I love for their chewy, springy texture. I get the odd craving for them every now and then and one day I looked to the pantry to see that I’d finished them all. Then I discovered that they’re incredibly easy to make.
Like any pasta, it’s really about kneading flour with water and then resting for an amount of time. And when I heard that there was a method recommended where people could use their feet to knead it I became utterly obsessed with trying it. Using your feet uses your weight to knead the dough quicker than you would using your hands. Plus, how often do you get to turn the music on and dance on your dinner? 
I will be honest, my first lot while tasting great were just way too thick but the second lot and the ones after, once I had the thickness sorted out were just right. I think I’ve converted Mr NQN into becoming an udon lover too-he loves these both in a broth but especially when I stir fry them with some soy sauce, oyster sauce and kecap manis and the udon takes on a slight char from the pan. And whilst he is a reluctant cook, getting him to help by kneading the dough with his feet is easy!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have Daylight Savings and what do you think about it? And have you ever kneaded anything with your feet before?
Made From Scratch: Fresh Udon Noodles
Adapted from Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking, by Harumi Kurihara via Lafujimama
- 3 1/4 cups of bread flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1- 1 1/4 cup warm water
1. With mixer: Firstly, measure out the two flours in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. You can do the whole thing in the mixer bowl or if you don’t have a mixer, your feet will help out! Add the salt to the water and dissolve and set mixer to knead for about five minutes until you get an elastic dough. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for four hours.
2. With feet: If you’re doing it by hand or more correctly by foot, measure out the flours in a large bowl and then dissolve the salt in the water. Knead this by hand in the bowl for about five minutes. Then take it out of the bowl and put it in a large ziplock bag. Wrap it in a towel and use your feet-the front and the heel to massage the dough. Keep stepping on the dough with both feet until you get an elastic texture. Wrap back up in the bag and allow to rest for four hours.
3. Put a large pot of water onto boil and I also put a kettle full of water to boil too to top it up. Generously flour a clean surface with flour and divide the dough in two. Roll out one ball and flour the top and fold it over like a book into thirds. Using a sharp knife, cut the noodles into thin pieces-the thinner the better and they will expand slightly. But if you like your noodles chunky and thick that’s fine too. Carefully separate them as you go and flour them lightly to stop them from sticking.
4. When I’ve done half of the first ball, I add the noodles to the boiling water and use chopsticks to make sure that they are completely separated. Cook for about six minutes or so until done – take a thick piece and taste for doneness. Refresh in plenty of cold water. You can now serve these with soup or stir fry them to make stir fried noodles.
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66 Comments | Add your own
I was a bit worried about making the noodles with your feet, but I’m glad to see the dough stays in a bag wrapped with a clean towel…
. I love udon noodles, these look delicious!
I’ve stomped grapes, but I must say that I’ve never kneaded anything with my feet, but it sounds like fun.
I love homemade noodles, but haven’t made Udon before – definitely going to try this.
I love the way you’ve needed that dough! Fabulous udon and wonderful dish. I really have to try that.
Cheers,
Rosa
Noodles made with your feet!
You never cease to amaze me!
I don’t think I have ever kneaded anything with my feet before Lorraine, but your noodles look fantastic!!
What a great post Lorraine. Udon noodles are my kids fave. IN fact, Raffles is sitting with me now and wants to know when he can make some “foot noodles”
Lorraine, kneading with your feet makes perfect sense! We do knead grapes with our feet, right? Why not to use it for kneading the dough? Evrika! Thank you, Lorraine. I will try it with my teenager, I bet he would laugh out loud and would have story to tell his friends. Brilliant post!
Hehehe, Daylight Savings? When you think of it (and that’s what your students did, right?), there’s no actual saving of anything. Once I heard a question about it: why not just get up earlier instead of changing the time? It was hard to explain…
Wow … What an interesting recipe and technique
Foot kneaded home made udon – charge a premium for this product:)
If the kids found daylight saving Australian style strange, they should hear the Fiji style. It was done only once so that Fiji could claim to be the first country to see the sunrise at the start of the new millenium!!!
I love this! Noodles and pasta are the centre of my world. I eat a lot of udon noodles but it never occurred to me I could make them myself. Love it
At first, I thought you were kidding but makes sense…I’m very intrigued now =)
Love this post!
I’ve never made homemade noodles before but the whole use of feet in the process makes me want to give it a go.
Phew for the zip-lock bag. I was revolted at first and would definitely want a pedicure first. Udon are my fave noodle! Now I want to go to a convenience store.
My mum absolutely loves udon noodles so I’ll have to try this out for her. When you said knead with your feet I had terrible visions of floury toenails etc. Glad to see it’s nice and hygienic!
It’s such a great idea Lorraine, and how much easier than using your arms! I have to admit the picture I had in mind was messier though
I just love daylight savings- i wish we had it all year round as it’s OK to get going in the dark in the morning but I hate how it starts getting dark at 4.30 here in winter
Kit Kat in unusual flavours! I love the green tea Kit Kats – the wasabi ones aren’t bad either.
Despite living in Japan myself, I have never seen udon noodles made but am intrigued! Do you think you could replace the wheat flour with rice flour for a gluten free version? And very sadly Queensland does not have daylight savings – how i miss it from growing up in NZ!!!
Lorraine, I live for noodles! And this is sooo easy! Whenever I imagine making them, I always see those grand masters with huge handmade strings of noodles looped around their hands. I might have to give this a go!
The tile of this post probably made us all sit up to attention. With your feet! Love it! Would never have thought to make these noodles myself–and I love them. Love the photo as well. I just don’t want to get up in the dark or have it be light at 9 o’clock at night!
You won’t want to hear this…my mum is Polish and when she was a child the whole family used to make big batches of sauerkraut – by stomping on the cabbage with their feet.
She would always be delighted with how clean her feet were afterwards…
I’d love you to teach us how to make sauerkraut please Lorraine, but of course I know you’d use a civilised technique.
Hi Lorraine, great post. Making udon noodles this way is much more enjoyable. I love udon and actually forgot that I should make a stir fry with it instead of just soup so thanks for reminding me. I have not kneaded anything with my feet expect to massage my husband’s back and legs! I don’t mind daylight saving in NSW
oh hell yes.
Love,love,love udon noodles and have made them with my small hands and rather weak wrists! Lorraine to the rescue: this method shall be tried with much laughter!! Never thought of it! Daylight Saving: absolutely love it and cannot wait each year for it to arrive. But then I was born in the N of Europe – delightful summers when it sort’of went dark [never quite
!] some time past 10 pm and the sun peeped over the horizon again after 2am. Absolutely delightful 
!
Just love daylight saving, but after 40+yrs living here I still miss the long light evenings of Summer in UK when you can get so much done until gone 10 at night (don’t miss those short cold wintery days though)
Also love Udon noodles, but just pop into the local Asian store to buy them. Couldn’t bear the thought of those noodles squishing around under my feet, even if they are wrapped in a towel!
Ha! I should’ve invited those students to my tutorials, back when I was teaching at uni, about how the entire concept of “time” is a social construction. Even that blew my mind when I was in undergrad!
Darn girl, those are beautiful noodles. I tried making them once and they turned out like GLUE. I have no idea what I did wrong. You inspire me to noodle once again because I miss fresh noodles. Sooo good!
I actually tried making fresh udon the other day.. it was using bread flour and AP flour.. didnt really turn out tht good but we had fun kneading with our feet. Will need to try it with tapioca starch next time.
The whole time I was reading this I was horrified that you had your feet in your food! I was so pleased to see the udon dough was in a bag! Whew!
Hahahaha love it! I love big fat udon noodles. They look great Lorraine
I thought you were going to do this barefoot like crushing grapes! I was looking forward to that image. I love udon noodles but I always buy them (a bit like pasta!) I shouldn’t be so lazy xx
Ben calls me monkey toes– If I made noodles, I could be noodle toes.
I have to admit, when I read “kneading with your feet”, I imagined the I Love Lucy episode where she squashed the wine grapes with her feet in a vat, TRUE!
Your post intrigued me too!
Glad it all worked out in the end too!
Have “kneaded” hubby’s back with a special massage too!
I wondered if you’d have a recipe for thorough feet washing! Glad to see they are safe in a bag in a towel! Fresh udon was one of my Fav food moments in Japan, yum.
Fascinating. A great post!
ive seen this method on japanese travel shows and have been curious since! i think i may make some over the weekend!
‘take a thick piece and taste for doneness’ – love it!
I’ve seen Japanese noodle makers use their feet to do this. I’ve always wanted to try it, especially because I’m such a fiend for any kind of noodles. You’ve definitely inspired me to give it a try. I’m thinking if I do jumping jacks on the dough, I can get a workout in at the same time, right?
Haha food and exercise- 2 birds one stone
I have a slight obsession for noodles!
I love udon noodles! But oh my goodness…you just made noodles. With your feet. As you do. Whatever
Haha I did have a good giggle at this post. Thanks for sharing!
How much fun does this look?! Another way to get the kids into the kitchen …
Looks like a great little bowl of udon there! Did you make sure your feet were clean before kneading the dough? :p
To be honest though I’m not a huge fan of udon, more of a soba or ramen girl
Wow you made these using your feet to knead the dough….totally impressive Lorraine!! This dish looks so good too would love to try it.
Love udon noodles, this looks really fun. When I first saw the post I did wonder for a moment about the feet then saw your picture with the towel and I was quite relieved!:) In Sydney so currently enjoying daylight savings, it’s lovely coming home and still being able to enjoy daylight after work.
In Italy, when someone does something badly, you say they did it with their feet (fare una cosa con i piedi)… the saying does not apply here!
I totally agree with you Lorraine that convenience stores in Asia are so much better
They have all sorts of exciting things and sometimes the food is actually quite decent!
Wow i’ve never thought of making anything with your feet except maybe making wine where people use to smash the grapes with their feet hehe ~
LOVE daylight saving we’re going to gain one more hour soonish but then our days are so short during winter
If you can have the muscles of your back kneeded by feet, why not noodles. Bring it on. We need to add more fun to food.
LOL Lorraine!!
You wouldn’t believe the pictures going through my mind when you said “kneading with your feet”
Glad to see none of them were true.
I love udon noodles!
Will have to give these a try just to say I did.
And who knows maybe it will become a habit
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Great looking noodles! Probably can’t tell you used feet
Lorraine, great to see the food was covered (it seems that was most people’s thoughts as well) and that your toenails were pretty for the picture.
P.S. Daylight saving is essential and definitely the best time of year, we are so deservedly spoilt in Australia x
What a brilliant concept to knead with your feet, it makes perfect sense and your noodles look divine. I am surprised to find tapioca flour as an ingredient so will have to give these a try, with the kneading attachment on my mixmaster
Umm Lorraine this is just beyond awesome. I need to do this one day & show off to Ben!
Heidi xo
Oh what a great idea and an eyecatching title. Look at your cute little feet. they do look easy, I wish I had time to make them…..perhaps under a desk while typing?
I have to try the method! Thankfully we don’t have daylight savings as we are so far west
I don’t know where to start! First of all I wish you were my teacher (wait, I am older than you!), and if not, I wish I knew you in Japan…it must have been so much fun to hang out with a big foodie like you! I should try making udon especially my daughter is super crazy about udon. I don’t ask her what she wants to eat for lunch because she will say udon and it’s hard to convince her to eat something else when she decides on udon. Thank you for the recipe!
Udon is one of my all time favorites! Your homemade udon looks beautiful! I really need to try making my own. Thanks so much for sharing.
Can’t believe it’s that easy to make udon at home! Love it. And great technique with the feet
LIke some mentioned above..I was also SO glad to see that the dough was in a bag and covered! Now, I am dying to try it! Gret exercise for the legs..with a little cardio! THEN you’re soon rewarded with a bowl of ‘however you like’ your udon
LOved the story about telling the kids in Japan about DST. I use to hate it because I had to change the clocks manually. Now most everything is computerized and done for us. I do prefer dinner when it’s dark out, but no big deal in the long run.
how interesting! i’ll admit that your title had my mind racing to interesting places, but it all makes sense in the end.
If only I’d seen this post earlier! I needed udon noodles this week, but had run out… Next time!
Reading your story here, I can connect my self with the situation. I was a student who took English course with native English speaking instructors back when I was in Indonesia. Also, I never knew day light saving until I came to Canada.
Anyway, I love Harumi Kurihara cookbook. I have adapted some of her recipes including making my own dashi from scratch.
Any idea what sort of flour you could replace the bread flour with to maintain good texture but make gluten free?
I love the image of the two of you dancing on your udon dough. I love udon noodles and think that fresh would be wonderful. I love mine in udon soup.
I quite like daylight savings – it is part of the change of seasons and the joy of seeing the days get shorter and longer but it is a pain to work out the time difference with other countries when it changes – not to mention when you work in a national organisation and daylight savings means there are 5 different time zones in Australia
Hahahahahhaha,…how funny the title was! I loved reading it all!
Your home-made noodles look so tasty too!
By the way, you have lovely feet! Great red nailpolish too!
x
Hahah who knew feet were involved in such chewy and delicious noodles?!
I still find explaining daylight savings a bit hard…especially when we LOSE hours in the winter and it gets dark at 3 instead of later, lol!!
I love Udon….looks a lot of work though, but so worth it.
Hi Lorraine, just wondering what happened to the fantastic index you used to have on the right hand side of your web page??? I found it sooooo user friendly and could always find what I wanted. I really miss it. Or is it my computer???????????
Cheers, Pippa
noodle reflexology for your feet, love it
A very interesting post, Noela
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