Yaki Udon
Deciding on what to make for dinner, day in and day out, can sometimes seem monotonous. Even for a foodie like me, I get stuck from time to time and lose the desire. The other day, as I looked into the pantry to see what would jump out – I stood there for what seemed eternity. I just couldn’t get into the mood to cook. A few weeks ago I picked up a package of udon noodles and thought they would be a perfect pantry staple and they were! I took the udon noodles out of the pantry and immediately knew what I would make for supper. Yaki udon was a favorite of ours when we lived in Asia. Udon are thick, chewy noodles and are perfect in a stir-fry or soup. The ingredients for yaki udon make perfect use of whatever veggies are in your fridge.
Serves 2
2 packages of udon noodles
1 to 2 pork chops (depending on size), sliced into thin strips
4 or 5 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 a small Napa cabbage, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 green onions, chopped
1-inch ginger, sliced then chopped
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
Bonito flakes or strips cut from a Nori sheet (optional but good if you can buy it)
In a small bowl stir to combine soy sauce, Mirin, sugar and sesame oil.
In a wok or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and add udon noodles. Gently stir-fry to break apart noodles – try not to cut the noodles as they should be kept long. Once noodles have separated and warmed, remove from wok and place in a bowl. In the same wok, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and turn up the heat to medium-high. Toss in pork strips and cook; stirring frequently until meat is no longer pink. Add carrot, mushroom, red pepper, ginger, and onion and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add cabbage and cook further until vegetables get lightly wilted. Add Udon and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour soy sauce mixture over noodle mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately with chopped green onion and bonito flakes.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Udon noodles are available at local grocery shops usually found in the Asian or International section. Enjoy!
- 2 packages of udon noodles
- 1 to 2 pork chops (depending on size), sliced into thin strips
- 4 or 5 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, sliced
- ½ a small Napa cabbage, sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1-inch ginger, sliced then chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- ½ an onion, thinly sliced
- Bonito flakes or strips cut from a Nori sheet (optional but good if you can buy it)
- In a small bowl stir to combine soy sauce, Mirin, sugar and sesame oil.
- In a wok or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and add udon noodles. Gently stir-fry to break apart noodles – try not to cut the noodles as they should be kept long. Once noodles have separated, remove from wok and place in a bowl. In the same wok, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and turn up the heat to medium-high. Toss in pork strips and cook; stirring frequently until meat is no longer pink. Add carrot, mushroom, red pepper, ginger, and onion and stir fry for a minute. Add cabbage and cook further until vegetables get lightly wilted. Add Udon and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour soy sauce mixture over noodle mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately with chopped green onion and bonito flakes.