Beef, Enoki and Udon With Satay

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Yaki Udon is Japanese stir-fried udon noodles fabricated with your selection of protein and vegetables seasoned with a savory sauce. This recipe is easily vegetarian or vegan adaptable. It'south set up in 25 minutes and incredibly delicious!

Is there annihilation more pleasurable and comforting than a hot plate of noodles? For a year-circular favorite, I always count on Yaki Udon (焼きうどん) equally my go-to noodle dish. You have thick and chewy noodles, savory sauce, well-baked vegetables, and slices of seared pork — what's non to love?!

It'due south fast, easy, and packed with umami flavors. Forget take-out, and make authentic yaki udon at habitation instead!

Table of Contents

• What is Yaki Udon?
• How to Make Yaki Udon
  • Ingredients You'll Need
  • Overview: Cooking Steps
• How To Make Your Ain Variation
• Yaki Udon Cooking Tips
• Popular Udon & Other Noodle Recipes You'll Love

What is Yaki Udon?

Yaki Udon (焼きうどん) is Japanese stir-fried udon noodles with meat/seafood and vegetables, flavored with a sweetness and savory sauce. It's a variation of another wildly popular Japanese stir-fried noodle dish called Yakisoba (焼きそば).

Just like yakisoba, yaki udon is likewise synonymous with Japanese summertime festival food. It reminds me of energetic cooks at the yatai (屋台, mobile street food stall) with metal spatulas in their hands, working swiftly with a huge pile of thick fat noodles on a apartment top grill. The steam wafting through the air and the enticing aroma luring you in.

Difference Between Yaki Udon and Yakisoba

• Yaki Udon – Yaki udon always uses udon noodles. Udon noodles are thick and chewy white noodles made with wheat flour and water. Udon noodles are very versatile – in hot noodle soup similar Kitsune Udon and Nabeyaki Udon, in cold noodle dishes similar Tanuki Udon, and lastly, in stir-fried dishes like yaki udon.
• Yakisoba – Yakisoba uses chukamen (中華麺), xanthous Chinese-style noodles made with wheat flour and kansui (alkaline solution). These same noodles are used for Ramen and yakisoba.

How to Make Yaki Udon

Ingredients Y'all'll Need

You can pretty much use any protein and vegetables from the refrigerator to make this ultra comforting stir-fry noodle!

• Poly peptide: Pork is the typical choice of meat for a traditional yaki udon. I ordinarily similar to employ thinly sliced pork abdomen for more than flavors. That said, y'all can always use chicken, beef, or seafood such every bit shrimp and squid. For vegetarian picksouthward, you can only leave out the meat or use thinly sliced fried tofu (or tofu puffs).
• Vegetables: Utilize scraps of vegetables that y'all accept in the refrigerator. Have some mushrooms on manus? Add them in!
• Udon Noodles: Yous can use frozen, fresh, or dry noodles to make yaki udon. I recommend using either fresh or frozen udon noodles because they take the best texture. Read more beneath.
• Sauce: For this recipe, I'll give you 2 options. Both take a similar gustatory modality merely are made with dissimilar condiments. I'll discuss more of this below.
• Optional toppings: For actress oomph, I honey topping the noodles with katsuobushi (shaved bonito flakes) and beni shoga (red pickled ginger). You can find them at Asian grocery stores.

Overview: Cooking Steps

1. Cutting ingredients into uniform shapes.
2. Set up the udon noodles by blanching (frozen udon) or boiling (dried udon).
3. Stir fry the meat, onions, and the residue of the ingredients.
4. Add the cooked noodles and mix them all together.
5. Season the stir-fried noodles and serve hot!

All-time Pick of Udon Noodles

In the ideal globe, fresh udon is always the best. I have a homemade fresh udon noodle recipe that you can brand from scratch. However, we don't always accept the time to make udon from scratch. If you lot live close to a Japanese, Korean, or Chinese grocery store, I recommend buying frozen Sanuki Udon for all your udon noodle dishes.

Frozen Sanuki Udon on the left

Sanuki udon is sold frozen in bricks, usually 5 bricks in a package. They have an elastic and chewy texture. All yous need is to blanch the frozen noodles for ane minute. If you lot can't find Japanese brands, you lot can also use Korean frozen udon.

Another option is dried udon noodles. These noodles are commonly apartment and the texture is less chewy, merely they won't break into pieces like refrigerated udon noodles.

Yous could use instant udon noodle packs found at mainstream grocery stores (if it was your only option), but accept note that they are more doughy in gustatory modality and tend to break hands.

How To Make Your Own Variation

To customize yaki udon with your own preferred protein, just sub the pork belly slices with the below ingredients and arrange the cooking fourth dimension accordingly.

Ingredient Variations

• Chicken Yaki Udon — use vi oz (170 g) chicken pieces
• Beef Yaki Udon — employ vi oz (170 g) thinly sliced beefiness
• Shrimp Yaki Udon — utilise vi oz (170 g) peeled and deveined shrimp
• Seafood Yaki Udon — use half-dozen oz (170 chiliad) mixed seafood
• Tofu Yaki Udon — employ half dozen oz (170 g) sliced fried tofu
• Vegetable Yaki Udon — besides the vegetables we utilize, use an additional 1 cup of thinly sliced or chopped vegetables, such as bell peppers, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms.

The Yaki Udon Sauce

At that place are typically 3 flavors for yaki udon recipes in Japan.

• Soy sauce base
• Mentsuyu base
• Sauce base – Known as "sauce" (ソース) in Japan, this Japanese Worcestershire sauce is slightly sweeter than the original analogue. Information technology is usually used in the Osaka surface area. Some people combine both the "sauce" and soy sauce.

The soy sauce-based seasoning uses 4 ingredients: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and dashi powder. All four ingredients are standard Japanese condiments. I don't really use dashi powder in my recipes, but here, I use it as an umami booster and a salt substitute.

The mentsuyu-based seasoning uses two ingredients: mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) and soy sauce. This is my become-to sauce for yaki udon. I ever keep a bottle of mentsuyu at home for quick soba or udon noodle soup.

Mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base)

Mentsuyu (also called tsuyu) is fabricated from umami-packed ingredients: sake, mirin, soy sauce, kombu, and katsuobushi (stale bonito flakes). The ingredients for mentsuyu are very similar to my yaki udon seasoning A. Instead of iv ingredients, you just need mentsuyu and a lilliputian fleck of soy sauce.

The sauce comes in user-friendly bottles (pictured to a higher place). However, the store-bought mentsuyu in a canteen is non vegan-friendly. You can also brand your own mentsuyu or employ the soy sauce-based seasonings above.

Yaki Udon Cooking Tips

Yaki Udon is a quick and easy home cooked dish to make for your family or for yourself. You'll need only standard ingredients y'all probably already have in the refrigerator.

Tip #ane: Keep udon noodles in your pantry.

Always have frozen or dried udon noodle packages in your pantry. And then, y'all tin brand delicious nonetheless simple udon noodle dishes instead of getting a take-out or eating out. My daughter loves udon noodles and then I e'er keep some in my freezer for a quick meal.

Tip #2: Don't overcook the udon noodles.

Since y'all will be cooking the udon with the rest of the ingredients in the frying pan, you lot don't demand to melt the noodles until they turn soft. Overcooking will only affect the final consequence of the texture.

Tip #3: Encompass and steam the veggies.

Cover the frying pan to steam the veggies instead of stir-frying constantly. Do make sure to reduce the stove's heat to depression. With the moisture in the vegetables, all the bulky veggies will get steamed and become tender fast.

If you don't have a lid that fits your frying pan, you tin can continue to stir-fry the ingredients.

Tip #4: Utilize a pair of tongs.

If you don't have i in the kitchen, go this pair. Y'all won't regret the buy. It'due south and then much easier to mix the noodles and other ingredients with a pair of tongs than trying to use a pair of chopsticks or a spatula or two. Trust me on this!

Tip #v: Utilize a big frying pan.

Lastly, I recommend using the biggest frying pan you lot have. Stir-frying requires more expanse, and information technology'due south a big plus to have taller sides so the food stays in the pan.

Popular Udon & Other Noodle Recipes You'll Love

• Curry Udon
• Vegetarian Udon
• Kitsune Udon
• Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)
• Vegetarian Ramen

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Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)

Yaki Udon is Japanese stir-fried udon noodles fabricated with your choice of protein and vegetables seasoned with a savory sauce. This recipe is easily vegetarian or vegan adaptable. It's ready in 25 minutes and incredibly delicious!

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 2 (could be iii, depending on the actress ingredients you add)

Melt Style Foreclose your screen from going night

• ▢ ½ onion (three.5 oz, 100 1000 for two servings)
• ▢ 2-3 leaves cabbage (8 oz, 227 g for ii servings)
• ▢ 2 inches carrot (1.eight oz, 50 g for 2 servings)
• ▢ ii shiitake mushrooms (0.seven oz, 20 g for 2 servings)
• ▢ 2 green onions/scallions
• ▢ 6 oz sliced pork belly (employ your choice of meat or seafood; omit for vegetarian/vegan and use tofu, mushrooms, or actress vegetables instead)
• ▢ 2 servings udon noodles (six.three oz/180 g dry out udon noodles; i.ane lb/500 g frozen or parboiled udon noodles)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.) (for cooking)
• ▢ ⅛ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt) (plus more to taste)
• ▢ ⅛ tsp freshly ground blackness pepper (plus more to taste)

For the Seasonings Option A

• ▢ ½ tsp dashi pulverisation (use kombu dashi powder for vegetarian/vegan or skip)
• ▢ ii Tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sake
• ▢ 1 tsp mirin (or a pinch of sugar)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you desire substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

• Gather all the ingredients. For this recipe demonstration, I used seasonings option A. To blanch or cook the udon noodles, commencement bringing a large pot of water to boil on medium-high heat.

  

To Set the Ingredients

• Slice the onion thinly.

  

• Remove the tough core of the cabbage leaves. Then, cut the leaves into pieces well-nigh 1 inch (2.five cm) square.

  

• Peel the carrot and cut information technology into thin slabs. Then, julienne them into strips 2 inches (5 cm) long.

  

• Discard the tough shiitake stems and slice the mushroom caps.

  

• Cut the dark-green onions into ii-inch (5 cm) pieces. Cut the pork belly slices into 1-inch (two.5 cm) pieces.

  

• When the h2o is humid, flinch the frozen udon for 30-40 seconds or until it simply starts to loosen up. If you're using dry out udon noodles, boil them according to the package instructions. Transfer the noodles to a plate and fix aside.

  

To Stir-Fry

• Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add together the oil and spread it evenly. Add the pork and stir-fry.

  

• Flavor the pork with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Melt until it'southward no longer pinkish.

  

• Add the onion slices and stir-fry until tender.

  

• Add together the cabbage, carrot strips, shiitake mushrooms, and green onions. Mix information technology all together until the ingredients are coated with oil.

  

• Cover with a lid and reduce the stove'due south oestrus to low. Let the ingredients steam for 3 minutes, or until the ingredients are slightly wilted.

  

• Add the udon noodles to the pan and toss with a pair of tongs to combine (it's a lot easier to use tongs than two spatulas).

  

• Choose seasonings choice A or B and add those ingredients to the pan. If you have mentsuyu at home, definitely endeavor my go-to seasonings option B considering it's easy and succulent!

  

• Mix it all together. Taste and adjust the seasoning, calculation more than basis black pepper and salt to your liking.

  

To Serve

• Transfer the Yaki Udon to individual plates. Optionally, sprinkle bonito flakes on peak and garnish with ruby pickled ginger on the side.

  

To Store

• You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and in the freezer for a month.

Calories: 976 kcal · Carbohydrates: 59 g · Protein: 26 g · Fatty: 67 g · Saturated Fat: 23 yard · Polyunsaturated Fat: 10 thou · Monounsaturated Fatty: xxx thou · Trans Fat: i k · Cholesterol: 82 mg · Sodium: 938 mg · Potassium: 445 mg · Fiber: 6 g · Carbohydrate: vi one thousand · Vitamin A: 5228 IU · Vitamin C: vii mg · Calcium: 51 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Course: Master Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: stir fry, udon, udon noodle

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Editor's Note: This postal service was originally published in January 2011. Information technology was republished with a new video, revised recipe, and updated content on May 2, 2022.

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Source: https://www.justonecookbook.com/yaki-udon/

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