Sara udon

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Sara udon, meaning “plate noodles,” is a dish from Nagasaki, Japan. It is not actually udon. It starts with a bed of noodles topped with fried cabbage, bean sprouts, and other vegetables, plus seafood like squid and prawns, and pork or kamaboko.

There are two main noodle styles. One uses thin, crispy noodles fried in oil (parí pari / bari bari / bari men), which looks a bit like Cantonese chow mein. The other uses thicker Chinese-style noodles (chanpon noodles). Different restaurants use different noodles, so you may see both.

Outside Nagasaki, many places serve only the thin version, which has led some to think sara udon always uses thin noodles.

If many people eat together, they share one large central dish and take portions from it.

There are delivery services (demae) that bring sara udon to parties or for people working late. In Nagasaki, it is sometimes served in school meals.