On Thursday, February 26th, a final report meeting and tasting event for the "New Chikugo Udon Menu Development Project for Vietnam," undertaken by students from Professor Funaoka's seminar in the Faculty of Commerce and students from Kurume Commercial High School, was held at the Ichikichi Udon main store (Miyaki-cho, Saga Prefecture: President Kazuhiro Todoroki).
This year's new menu item, now in its seventh year, is "Vietnamese-style Gao Hap * Clam Udon," jointly developed by Vietnamese international students Chiong Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quang Tuan, both second-year students Faculty of Commerce. Inspired by the popular Vietnamese dish "Steamed Clams with Lemongrass," this dish fuses Chikugo udon with Vietnamese flavors, featuring the delicious taste of clams and the refreshing aroma of herbs.
In developing the menu, the students participated in an internship at the main branch of "Ichikichi Udon," which also has a store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. After learning about the characteristics of Chikugo udon and store operations, they considered local ingredient procurement, costs, and reproducibility when developing the menu. They also engaged in promotional activities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in September of last year, and at the university's "Kashii Festival" in November.
At the tasting event, students and pupils enjoyed the taste of the new udon dish while reflecting on their respective activities. Developer Anh said, "I developed the recipe while taking into account advice from local Vietnamese people and President Todoroki. Lemongrass, which is popular in Vietnam, goes very well with Chikugo udon, so I hope many people will enjoy it."
On the day of the event, Ms. Himeko Tōbu of Vietnam Airlines' Fukuoka office, who attended as a guest, praised the new menu item, saying, "Lemongrass, which is commonly used in Vietnamese cuisine, has a high affinity with Chikugo udon noodles, and this dish will serve as an excellent way to introduce new ways of using lemongrass to Vietnamese people."
The completed new menu will be available at Ichikichi Udon (main store and stores in Vietnam), Tokubei Udon (5 stores in the Chikugo area, including Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture), Takeya (Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture), Udon Jinsei Tamon (Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture), Menraku (Chikugo City, Fukuoka Prefecture), and some other stores affiliated with the Chikugo Udon Promotion Association.
*Gaohap: Vietnamese for "steamed bivalve shellfish"
[Faculty of Commerce]
