Kitsune Udon No Age (Sweet Simmered Tofu Pouches for Udon)

If you’ve ever ordered kitsune udon at a Japanese restaurant, the star of the dish is that sweet, juicy, golden pouch of fried tofu floating on top of the noodles. In Japanese it’s just called age (揚げ) — short for aburaage (油揚げ), the thin sheets of fried tofu — but when seasoned this way for kitsune udon, every bite releases a wave of sweet-savoury broth into your mouth. It’s one of those small, simple things that makes Japanese home cooking feel like a treat.

This recipe makes a small batch of kitsune udon no age — sweet simmered tofu pouches that you can drop straight onto a bowl of hot udon noodles. Once you have these in the fridge, kitsune udon at home is a 10-minute meal. They also work beautifully in inarizushi, on top of soba, or just eaten as a side with rice.

What Is Aburaage?

Aburaage (油揚げ) is thin sheets of deep-fried tofu — typically sold in packs of two or three rectangular pieces. They’re light, slightly chewy, and incredibly absorbent, which is exactly what makes them work for this dish. When you simmer them in a sweet-savoury broth of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar, they soak up every drop of flavour like a sponge.

You’ll find aburaage in the refrigerated tofu section of Japanese and Korean grocery stores. They’re usually called “fried bean curd” or “fried tofu pouches” on the English label. For this batch I used pre-cut square aburaage (sometimes labelled sushi-age / 寿しあげ) — these come in small squares that are exactly the right size for kitsune udon, with no cutting required. The classic thin rectangular sheets work just as well — just cut each one in half lengthwise before cooking.

Why Pour Hot Water Over the Aburaage First?

Before simmering, you pour boiling water over the aburaage to wash off the surface oil — this is called abura-nuki (油抜き). It does two important things:

• Removes the surface oil, which would otherwise float on top of the simmering broth and dilute the flavour.
• Helps the aburaage absorb the seasoning more deeply, since the open texture isn’t blocked by a layer of oil.

Don’t skip this step. It only takes 30 seconds and it makes a real difference.

Ingredients

Makes 2 pieces (enough for 2 bowls of kitsune udon)

Ingredient	Amount
Aburaage (fried tofu sheets)	2 pieces (about 40g)
Water	50ml (about 3 tbsp)
Sake	1 tbsp
Mirin	2 tbsp
Sugar	1 tsp
Soy sauce	1 tbsp

For the pantry staples, here’s what I use:

• 👉 Japanese soy sauce on Amazon
• 👉 Japanese mirin on Amazon

Aburaage itself is harder to find on Amazon, but most Japanese, Korean, or Asian grocery stores carry it in the refrigerated tofu section.

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How to Make Kitsune Udon No Age

Step 1: Abura-Nuki (Rinse Off the Surface Oil)

If you’re using rectangular aburaage sheets, cut each one in half lengthwise first. If you bought pre-cut square sushi-age like I did, skip the cutting.

Place the aburaage in a mesh strainer set over the sink. Pour hot water generously over both sides to wash off the surface oil. You’ll see the water turn slightly cloudy — that’s the oil coming off.

Lay the aburaage on a few sheets of paper towel and press gently with another sheet on top to squeeze out the excess water. Dry aburaage will absorb the seasoning much better than wet aburaage.

Step 2: Simmer in the Sweet-Savoury Broth

Set out your seasonings: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Having everything ready before you start cooking makes the whole process smoother.

In a small frying pan or shallow saucepan, combine the water, sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Add the aburaage pieces in a single layer.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through so both sides absorb the seasoning evenly. The liquid will reduce slightly and the aburaage will turn a deeper amber colour.

Step 3: Let It Rest (Important!)

Turn off the heat and leave the aburaage in the broth until completely cool. This is the most important step for flavour — as the liquid cools, it gets pulled deep into the aburaage. If you skip the resting and use them hot, the flavour will sit on the surface instead of inside the pouches.

About 30 minutes at room temperature is enough. If you have more time, refrigerate them in the broth for a few hours or overnight.

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How to Use Them

The classic use is on top of kitsune udon — just lay one piece of warmed age on each bowl of hot udon noodles before serving. The broth and the age together is the whole point of the dish.

Other ways I like to use them:

• On hot soba — same idea as kitsune udon, but with soba noodles (this version is called kitsune soba).
• In inarizushi — split open one side of each piece to make a pouch, then stuff with sushi rice for a quick inarizushi.
• Sliced over rice — chop the simmered age into thin strips and put it on top of a hot bowl of rice with green onion. A quick, satisfying snack.

Tips and Storage

• Don’t skip the abura-nuki (oil rinsing) step. It really does change the result — both the flavour and how cleanly the broth absorbs into the aburaage.
• Let them cool in the broth. The cooling is when the seasoning actually goes into the aburaage. Hot from the pan, they’re under-seasoned. Cooled overnight, they’re perfect.
• Storage: Keep them in the simmering broth in a covered container in the fridge. They’ll stay good for 3–4 days. Reheat gently in the broth before using, or just warm them on top of hot udon.
• Make a double batch. The recipe doubles easily, and having simmered age in the fridge means you can throw together kitsune udon in 10 minutes any night of the week.