Yaki Udon is one of my favorite weeknight meals to make. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it’s delicious and can be make a million different ways. We’ve made our version today with lots of vegetables, but it can be made with some diced/ground chicken, beef or shrimp for some added protein.
What is Yaki Udon?
Yaki udon is a Japanese stir-fry dish using udon noodles and a soy sauce based sauce. It can contain a variety of vegetables such as carrots, bok choy, cabbage, onion, mushrooms, etc as well and protein such as chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, pork.
How to Make Yaki Udon
Process
- In a small bowl whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Submerge noodles for 2 to 3 minutes to loosen, gently stirring to help them break apart. Drain into a colander, gently rinse in cool water and set aside.
- Place a wok or large pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and carrot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, mushroom and bok choy and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables wilt have started to brown around the edges.
- Add sauce and noodles to skillet and toss together until everything is fully and evenly coated in sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing/stirring frequently until noodles have just cooked through.
- Remove yaki udon from heat and top with green onions. Serve.
What is Dark Soy Sauce?
Dark soy sauce is a more viscous soy sauce with a darker color and sweeter taste. It’s often used as a marinade, sauce or glaze rather than in a dipping sauce. Although dark soy sauce contains more salt than light soy sauce, it has a more distinct soy flavor that makes it taste less salty.
Tips for Making the Best Yaki Udon
- Don’t overcook the noodles and make sure to give them a small rinse once boiled, to prevent the noodles from becoming gummy.
- Although it may not seem like a lot of sauce it’ll be just enough to coat the noodles (you don’t want to overdo it with the sauce or the dish will become too salty).
- There’s no need to season with salt or pepper because the sauce itself is very salty and will provide enough for the yaki udon.
- You can find fresh udon noodles at most grocery stores these days, in the refrigerated section usually by the tofu.
More Delicious Noodle Recipes You Will Love
Yaki Udon
A simple and delicious recipe for Yaki Udon, made in under 30 minutes! Our recipe is packed full of flavor, vegetarian friendly and can be easily customized based on personal preference! We promise you will love this easy weeknight dinner!
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce (such as Sambal Oelek)
noodles
- 16 ounces fresh udon noodles
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/2 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 small carrot julienne (cut into matchsticks)
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 6 shiitake mushrooms stemmed and thinly sliced
- 2 baby bok choy ends removed and thinly sliced on a bias
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Submerge noodles for 2 to 3 minutes to loosen, gently stirring to help them break apart. Drain into a colander, gently rinse with cool water and set aside.
- Place a wok or large pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and carrot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, mushroom and bok choy and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables wilt have started to brown around the edges.
- Add sauce and noodles to skillet and toss together until everything is fully and evenly coated in sauce.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing/stirring frequently until noodles have just cooked through.
- Remove from heat and top with green onions. Serve.
NOTES
**If using light soy sauce increase amount to 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons.**
Tips for Making the Best Yaki Udon
- Don’t overcook the noodles and make sure to give them a small rinse once boiled, to prevent the noodles from becoming gummy.
- Although it may not seem like a lot of sauce it’ll be just enough to coat the noodles (you don’t want to overdo it or the dish will become too salty).
- There’s no need to season with salt or pepper because the sauce itself is very salty and will provide enough for the yaki udon.
- You can find fresh udon noodles at most grocery stores these days, in the refrigerated section usually by the tofu.
Calories: 279kcal Carbohydrates: 44g Protein: 9g Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0.03g Sodium: 1156mg Potassium: 178mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 11g Vitamin A: 5131IU Vitamin C: 29mg Calcium: 84mg Iron: 1mg
CUISINE: Japanese
KEYWORD: stir-fry noodles, vegetarian noodles
COURSE: dinner, Main Course, Side Dish
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Fantastic lunch/dinner recipe! Doubled it (4 packs of udon) and added chicken (quick marinated with a few TBS of the sauce, then sautéed it in some oil, followed by veggies). Need more salt overall, so I added a few splashes of light soy sauce at the end but altogether a GREAT recipe esp to get lots of veggies in!
I cooked this following your method and recipe, my family loved it :D
This looks delicious! I’m wondering if I could make a big batch to meal prep a week’s worth of lunches. How well do you think this would keep in the fridge, and do you have any tips for doing so? Thanks!