Purin, like you’ve never seen, or tasted, before.

Marugame Seimen (known as Marugame Udon overseas) has been outdoing itself with new noodle innovations recently, giving us all sorts of surprising creations, from shakeable noodles to udon doughnuts. Now the super popular noodle chain is pushing the boat out even further, with the announcement that it will soon be serving Udon Purin.

Purin (“pudding”) is Japan’s take on crème caramel or flan, and its signature jiggly, creamy texture has made it one of the country’s most beloved desserts. Curious to find out what a purin made from udon noodles would taste like, we headed out to a pre-tasting event ahead of the official 7 July release.

As soon as we arrived, staff revealed the secrets behind the new purin, showing us how it’s made by mixing together finely chopped udon and then kneading the mixture together before slowly cooking it. It’s then chilled to achieve its signature chewy texture.

▼ Condensed milk and sugar are used for the flavouring.

Marugame Seimen says it developed the unusual dessert as part of its vision for “a summer where the ways to enjoy udon are expanded”. Each Marugame Udon Pudding is prepared in-store, meaning supplies are limited, and it will only be available at select stores displaying the “うどんプリン” (“Udon Purin”) sign, as shown below.

After seeing the process behind its creation and learning more about it, we now had a better understanding of this new weird fusion dessert. The big question, though, was how it would taste, because with no eggs, milk or steaming process like a traditional pudding, we had no idea what the resulting purin would look or taste like.

That’s when four varieties arrived on the table for us to taste: Blue Hawaii and Anmitsu-style, which cost 340 yen (US$2.12) each, and Mango and Anko Kinako, which cost 290 yen each.

Each variety consists of three layers – a pudding base, then jelly (or red bean paste), and the topping, which looked like jelly. Starting with the Mango, we dove in expecting it to be similar to a mango milk dessert…

▼ …but this was like no other dessert we’d ever tried before.

The purin was incredibly sweet and flavourful, and the texture was very chewy, with tiny pieces of udon reminding you that noodles were hidden inside. The chewy texture didn’t appear to come from gelatin, making it closer to the texture of mochi (pounded rice cake), and with its intense sweetness, it seemed similar to a Southeast Asian dessert.

▼ It was like pudding, but also not quite like purin.

The Blue Hawaii was even more eye-popping to look at, with the same purin texture and flavour, but a more refreshing summery taste, thanks to the fruit topping.

Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert made with kanten (agar jelly), sweet syrup, and toppings like red bean paste, and here the nods to that dessert gave it a familiar appearance on top. Taking a spoonful with all the layers created a very flavourful bite, adding a traditional flair to the chewy purin.

The Anko Kinako (red bean paste and roasted soybean flour) had a more nutty flavour profile, thanks to the generous serving of kinako, which customers sprinkle on top for maximum freshness.

The Marugame Udon Pudding has a very unique flavour, and an even more unique texture, making it the chewiest purin we’ve ever tasted. Still, it’s a treat we wouldn’t say no to, especially in the summer months, so it’s definitely worth trying next time you stop by for a bowl of udon.

Photos©SoraNews24
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