Marugame Seimen (丸亀製麺) is probably the most famous Udon restaurant in Japan. They have so many branches throughout the country, and their reasonable but authentic and tasty noodle is very popular among Japanese.
For many Muslims it should be a question if their menu can be Halal or not. In our observation, they are not genuinely Halal, but if you follow some certain way of eating, it can be Muslim-friendly.
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What is Udon?
First of all, let’s get to know what Udon is. It is a type of noodle made from flour, usually served hot but can be cold, with or without broth from fish and/or seaweed.
It is more eaten in Kansai region, because Kagawa prefecture which is located in Shikoku Island is where this noodle is highly appreciated. Marugame is actually the name of the city in this Kagawa Prefecture.
So, Is Udon Halal?
Broth is usually seasoned with soy sauce, which can contain tiny portion of alcohol, and a little bit of Mirin alcoholic sweetener. They are heated to evaporate the alcohol, so they usually do not contain any residual alcohol.
Toppings can be arranged as you wish, so you can choose to have seaweed or fried crumbles. Needless to say, simmered beef or curry sauce are not very Muslim-friendly, so they should be avoided.
Sweetened Tofu and Fish cake are very often topped, but they should be avoided too if you want to stay on a safer side. This is because sweetened Tofu could have been fried in oil with animal product, and Fish cake has some Mirin.
Our answer is, Udon is not genuinely Halal because of their sauce, however, the alcohol is gone so it can be accepted by some of you.
Is Marugame Seimen Halal?
Marugame Seimen has so many menus. Although alcohol is completely gone, let’s see the products without soup.
Kamaage Udon
Kamaage Udon (釜揚げうどん) is a very simple. They are boiled in hot water and served as it is. The noodle is served with broth with some seasoning. This also includes seasonings whose alcohol is gone.
Credit: https://jp.marugame.com/
Tempura
They have fried items at Marugame Seimen. Tempura is often eaten along with Udon, and most of them are vegetable, potato or shrimp.
However, at Marugame Seimen, they have fried chicken fillet. All of their Tempuras including this chicken are cooked in the same oil, so the oil can be contaminated by this chicken.
Credit: https://jp.marugame.com/
Rice ball
They also have rice balls. They have Inari Sweetened Tofu Sushi, Salmon, Umeboshi plum, Spicy fish roe Tarako and Seaweed.
Salmon and Umeboshi can be Halal, but other 3 choices may contain tiny portion of alcohol.
https://jp.marugame.com/
Sauce / Soy sauce on the table
They have some sauces on the table. One is for fried staff and another one is soy sauce. Both of them contained alcohol.
Not Halal, but probably the best option!
As we saw, Marugame Seimen is not completely Halal.
However, considering the fact that their seasonings are fully heated and there is no alcohol left, this chain restaurant can be one of the best options for someone who would like to find something relatively Halal.
Their condiments such as chives, ginger or wasabi are all Halal. Still, some of their toppings such are not really Halal, so please try to choose simple menu if you can!
Crumbles should be avoided as they could have been fried in the oil that cooked chicken.
