Itsuki Nabeyaki Stove Top Udon

Nabeyaki udon is a traditional Japanese hot pot style udon dish. It’s got thick noodles in a dashi broth, typically served in an earthenware pot with various toppings. Itsuki’s instant version is one of the more involved instant noodle products I’ve tried. It cooks on the stovetop rather than just sitting in hot water, which already puts it in a different category from most of what we review. I went in with high expectations for the noodle texture.

Produced in Japan.

What’s in the Package

Inside the pack, you’ll find a vacuum-sealed block of fresh-style udon noodles and two key flavoring components. There is a powdered soup base sachet and a separate, triangle-shaped fried bean curd (abura-age).

How to Prepare It

1. Pour about 1 cup (250ml) of boiling water directly into the aluminum bowl.
2. Place the bowl on your stovetop burner over medium heat. Add the fresh udon noodles and simmer for 3 minutes. Use your chopsticks to gently untangle the block as it softens.
3. Add the soup base powder and the fried bean curd triangle. Simmer for one more minute to let the bean curd rehydrate.
4. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat (use oven mitts, that aluminum gets incredibly hot!).

How Does It Taste

The dashi hits you immediately and it’s exactly what a good dashi should be. For an instant product the depth of flavor is impressive. It doesn’t taste thin or flat the way a lot of instant broths do. It feels like someone actually made a proper dashi base and figured out how to put it in a packet.

The noodles are the other standout. Thick, satisfying udon at a 3 out of 5 on thickness with a good bite that doesn’t go mushy. They’re easy to slurp and they hold their texture throughout the bowl. The stovetop preparation method is directly responsible for that texture quality. You can’t achieve the same result with just hot water and these noodles and that extra step is worth the effort.

There is no spice here at all. This is a clean, pure comfort food bowl.

How Does It Compare

Instant udon is its own category and there isn’t much on this site that competes directly. The stovetop format and the Japanese production put it in a premium tier relative to most instant noodle products reviewed here. If you want thick chewy noodles in a clean Japanese broth this is among the best instant options I’ve found.

The DongWon Seafood Kalguksu shares the non-fried noodle quality and the satisfying chew but in a Korean seafood broth direction. Both are worth having in your rotation.

How to Level Up Itsuki Nabeyaki Stove Top Udon

I would add thinly sliced scallions, a soft-boiled egg, toasted sesame seeds, and extra pieces of tempura shrimp, and nori sheets.

Final Verdict

The Itsuki Nabeyaki Stove Top Udon is one of the most satisfying instant noodle products I’ve reviewed. The dashi is rich and comforting, the udon noodles have a real bite, and the stovetop preparation method makes a difference you can taste. Give the noodles an extra minute beyond the package instructions, add scallions and a soft boiled egg, and this is a bowl that competes with restaurant quality udon in a way that most instant products can’t claim.

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