Udon is my least favorite Japanese food group. The noodles are thick and hard for me to grab so eating is sometimes a messy affair, more messy than rāmen for me. The noodles are often overcooked and one of the most popular udon toppings is Tempura. I can think of fewer detestable things than putting something battered, deep-fried and typically crispy in a bowl of broth until it gets soggy and limp. I just don't get it. For that reason, if I'm going to enjoy udon, I choose toppings that are not breaded. Kitsune udon (kitsune means fox. don't ask me why it's called fox udon) is one type of udon. It has a sheet of sweet, fried (not breaded) tofu called Abura-age.

These are instant kitsune udon noodles. Maruchan has sold Akai Kitsune Udon since 1978 without much change. The 1978 product evolved from Cup Kitsune Udon which was released in 1975 and was the world's first cup udon. Here is an advertisement for that Cup Kitsune Udon.

However, Tōyō Suisan at the time failed to secure a patent for its process before Nissin released Donbei Kitsune Udon in 1976. Tōyō Suisan refined their process and rebranded Cup Kitsune Udon to Akai Kitsune Udon in red packaging to stand out more on shelves against its Nissin competitor. They changed the shape of the packaging slightly as well, which is why it is no longer called cup udon.

What I have today is an evolution of that 1978 product, still branded Akai Kitsune Udon and still packaged in red.

The noodles are wavy, unlike traditional udon noodles. Of course these came in a dried block so that's expected, but visually they remind of rāmen noodles. They are still thick and the taste is closer to udon noodles, thankfully. The noodles are much more salty than the real thing, probably owing to the broth. The only other thing floating in the broth, aside from the tofu, is a few scant green onions. They don't do much to the flavor but I appreciate that they're there.

The tofu is sweet but compared to other fried tofu (aburāge) I've had it's quite bland. It does the job and is convincing enough considering it was dry a few minutes ago and now is sopping wet.

Finally, the broth is fantastic. Very salty, but rich and somewhat sweet. There's visibly suspended oil floating in the broth which imbues a slick texture. The only negative here is that it's super salty, which does distract some from the flavor.