Yaki Udon

Many apologies for not posting lately. All I can do is plead involvement in many other things: setting up an SIEM system to track and block various miscreants on the net, shepherding my apprentice through her third professional certification, dealing with various upcoming end-of-year tasks and events, and planning for the last two business trips of the year.

Breaking away from my desk, I accompanied Madam Badwolf to the local not-so-mega-mart. Walking through the frozen food aisle, I noted an interesting-looking package. On inspection, it was frozen udon noodles.

Neither Madam Badwolf nor I can resist a good noodle, so perhaps I’ll take a package or two for “testing.” Perhaps a stir-fry with protein and veggies tossed in a sweet/spicy sauce would make a good test-bed for these noodles. The meat counter had small portions of pork belly, so perhaps I’ll pick up one of those to act as a protein source.

From Wikipeida:

Yaki udon (焼きうどん, “fried udon”) is a Japanese stir-fried dish consisting of thick, smooth, white udon noodles mixed with a soy-based sauce, meat (usually pork), and vegetables. It is similar to yakisoba, which involves a similar stir-frying technique using ramen-style wheat noodles.

Yaki udon is relatively simple to make and popular as a staple of Japan’s izakaya, or pubs, eaten as a late-night snack. The dish originated in Kokura, in southern Japan, after the Pacific War. The widely accepted story of how the dish was created dates back to just after World War II, when food was scarce. The owner of the noodle restaurant Darumado used udon noodles in popular yakisoba preparations, because the proper noodles were not available.

Yaki Udon

Chewy udon noodles stir fried in a delicious sweet-savory-spicy sauce with vegetables and a protien

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Asian

Servings 2 people

Calories 726 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Yaki Udon

• 1 pkg Udon Frozen, ~ 1lb
• 1/2 lb Pork Belly, sliced 1/4 lb Bacon, or other protein (see Notes)
• 1 cup Cabbage Sliced thin
• 3/4 cup Mushrooms Cleaned, Sliced
• 1/2 cup Carrots Peeled, Julienned
• 2 ea Green Onion chopped fine
• 1 tbsp Neutral Oil
• 1/2 cup Bell Pepper washed, cored, julienned (Optional)

Sauce

• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce Dark
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce Regular
• 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 2 tsp Raw Sugar
• 1 tbsp Sambal Oelek Or Gochujang, Spicy, Optional

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed above.
• Soak udon noodles in hot boiling water in a large bowl for 30-60 seconds or until loosened.
• Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or large wok.
• Fry pork belly / bacon until golden brown and most of the fat has rendered out, about 2-3 minutes. Remove pork belly from frying pan and set aside.
• Reduce to medium heat. Stir fry garlic and onions until translucent, about 30 seconds. 
• Add cabbage, mushrooms, carrots and fry until softened, a few minutes.
• Feel free to add ¼ cup of water to help cook the veggies and allow the water to fully evaporate before moving onto the next step
• Toss in noodles, sauce, and pork belly. Mix until noodles are coated in sauce. Remove off heat.

Notes

I’ve written this to use sliced pork belly or bacon; one can replace the pork with:

• Shrimp
• Chicken
• Beef
• Tofu

Just cook the protein as required and add extra fat to the pan.

Veggies can be varied, or for that extra RogueChef twist, perhaps a washed, seeded, minced jalapeno can be added.  

Nutrition

Calories: 726kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 15gFat: 67gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 32gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 1389mgPotassium: 533mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 5402IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Bacon, Stir Fry, Udon, Yaki

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!