Yaki Udon - Japanese Stir Fried Udon Noodles

A pair of chopsticks holding several udon noodles above a bowl of yaki udon.

Yaki Udon - Japanese Stir Fried Udon Noodles

Yaki udon is the ultimate quick and easy dinner - filling, delicious and FAST! Tossed with pork, veggies and a delicious yaki udon sauce, these easy Japanese stir-fried udon noodles are ready in just 20 minutes.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Japanese

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings Serves

Calories 2607kcal

Author Wandercooks

Cost $8

Equipment

1 Large fry pan
1 Mixing Bowl(s) small

Ingredients

400 g udon noodles ready to eat noodles, sub with homemade, frozen or 280 g / 10 oz dried
200 g pork belly thinly sliced and chopped, sub bacon, chicken thigh, beef, prawn or tofu
1 carrot thinly sliced into half moons
1 onion thinly sliced into strips
4 cabbage leaves roughly cut into small square chunks, 150 g / 5.3 oz, sub bok choy
2 garlic chopped finely
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp cooking sake
1 tsp dashi powder
1 tbsp bonito flakes / katsuobushi
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Garnish Ideas

Instructions

To make the yaki udon savory sauce, add the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, dashi powder and water and mix until combined.
2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp cooking sake, 1 tsp dashi powder, 2 tbsp water
In a large frying pan, heat half the vegetable oil over a medium high heat, then add your garlic and fry for a minute before adding the pork belly. Optional: Add a pinch of salt and pepper over the pork. Cook for a few minutes until browned and remove from the pan.
2 garlic, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 200 g pork belly
Pour the remaining vegetable oil into the frying pan and throw in the onion and carrot over medium heat. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrot has softened (around 3 minutes).
1 onion, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 carrot
Add the cabbage pieces and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the pork and garlic back into the frying pan.
4 cabbage leaves
Pour over the seasoning mix and the bonito flakes, then add your udon noodles on top. Pop a lid on the frying pan for a minute or two to allow the udon noodles to steam slightly and soften. Stir carefully to loosen without breaking the noodles. If they’re still holding together, you can add an extra tbsp of water over each block and steam again for a minute or two. Once loosened, mix them through your meat and vegetables.
400 g udon noodles, 1 tbsp bonito flakes / katsuobushi
Once your sauce has completely cooked down and started to stick to the udon noodles (around 2-3 minutes), switch off the heat and serve!
Garnish with all your Japanese favourites - kewpie mayonnaise, katsuobushi, egg yolk and shichimi togarashi.
kewpie mayonnaise, bonito flakes / katsuobushi, seaweed flakes / aonori, shichimi togarashi, beni shoga / red pickled ginger

Video

Notes

Udon Noodles - This recipe works with all types of udon noodles - fresh, shelf-stable or frozen udon noodles - depending on what’s available in your area. Sub with soba noodles, ramen noodles, Chinese style egg noodles, or even spaghetti in a real pinch.

Pork - Thinly sliced pork (such as pork belly) works best because it cooks quickly and absorbs all the delicious flavours in the stir fry. If you're in Australia, Coles now sells this fresh, otherwise try your local Asian grocery store to see if they sell the slices fresh or frozen. Sub with thinly sliced beef, chicken, seafood such as fish or = shrimp / prawns, or tofu if you prefer.

Veggies - This dish is most commonly cooked with cabbage, carrot and onion, but you can use any veggies you have on hand. It’s great with spring onions / green onions, bok choy or gai lan, spinach, broccoli or broccolini, capsicum / bell pepper, enoki or shiitake mushrooms, renkon (lotus root) or even gobo (burdock root).

Soy Sauce - For the best flavour and quality, use a Japanese soy sauce such as Kikkoman which has the perfect balance of flavour and salt. Sub with mentsuyu for a little extra umami.

Cooking Sake - This is a type of rice wine made for cooking. It’s lighter and more delicate in flavour than Chinese cooking wine, but you can use either in this recipe. Look for it at Asian grocery stores or online. Sub with sherry or a blend of 50:50 vodka and water in a pinch.

Mirin - This is a sweet rice wine for cooking. You can sometimes find it in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online. If you don’t have it, just leave it out and add in a 1 tsp of sugar and an extra 1 tbsp water instead. It adds sweetness and glossy shine to the sauce.

Dashi - Use dashi stock powder or a splash of homemade dashi stock if you have some prepared.
Frying - Sweat the onions on low heat first to stop them burning. Keep ingredients spread out in the pan as you fry to help them cook evenly.
Storage - Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for around 2-3 months. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave.

Nutrition