Yaki Udon (焼きうどん) is a Japanese undon noodles stir-fried with your choice of protein and vegetables. Your protein can be thinly sliced meat or any seafood suitable for stir-frying. This is a very quick and simple udon recipe and so delicious.
The recipe is written to make either Pork Yaki Udon or Prawn Yaki Udon. The only differences are the choice of protein, i.e. pork slices or prawns, and the way the prawns are stir-fried with other ingredients.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 2 servings udon noodles (360g/0.8lb, note 1)
- 200g/7oz pork , thinly sliced into bite size pieces (note 2)
- 200g/7oz fresh prawns (small to medium size) , peeled and deveined
- 100g/3.5oz cabbage , cut into large bite size pieces
- 60g/2.1oz carrot , thinly sliced diagonally (note 3)
- 25g/0.9oz each shiitake and king oyster mushrooms , thinly sliced (note 4)
- 2 stalks shallots/scallions , cut to 5cm/2" long
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 2.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2.5 tbsp cooking sake
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 6g/0.2oz bonito flakes (note 5)
- 1 tbsp benishōga (pickled red ginger) (optional)
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Add all the Flavouring Sauce ingredients into a measuring cup or a small bowl and mix well. Set aside until required.
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Transfer the udon noodles to a sieve and untangle noodles quickly under running water. Drain.
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Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok or a large frying pan over medium high heat.
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If making Pork Yaki Udon, add the pork slices to the frying pan and sauté until the pork is almost cooked through (less than a minute if very thin, about 1-2 minutes if thicker).
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If making Prawn Yaki Udon, add the prawns to the frying pan and sauté until the prawns curl up to form a 'C' shape and the surface starts browning a little bit (about a minute). Put the prawns aside on a plate. Add a bit more ooil to the frying pan if too dry.
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Add the carrots to the frying pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the cabbage and the mushrooms. Stir-fry for about 1 minute until the cabbage is half cooked, then add the shallots.
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After mixing the shallots with the meat and vegetables, add the noodles and prawns, including the juice (if making Prawn Yaki Udon). Stir-fry, mixing all the ingredients well until some noodles start browning a little bit.
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Add the Flavouring Sauce mixture and mix quickly to ensure that all the noodles are coated with the sauce and the sauce has almost evaporated. Turn the heat off.
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Transfer the noodles onto serving plates, pile it into a mound, and topped with bonito flakes. Put the benishōga on the top or the side of the noodles, if using.
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Serve immediately.
1. I used 2 packs of fresh cooked udon noodles that I bought from an Asian grocery store. They were slightly more expensive than those you find in supermarkets, but the quality of noodles is better. They do not easily break into short pieces when stir fried.
If your fresh noodles are uncooked, boil them to al dente and rinse well under running water to remove sliminess. The noodles will also be firmed up.
Instead of using fresh udon noodles, you can cook dried udon noodles and use them. The dried udon noodles are much thinner than the fresh ones in general so the Yaki Udon will look a bit different from my photos.
2. I used very thinly sliced pork belly strips that I cut to short bite-size strips. But you can of course use sliced pork with less fat.
3. If the carrot is thick, halve it vertically, then slice diagonally.
4. You can also use other Asian mushrooms such as shimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, or pearl mushrooms. They are better suited to this dish than button mushrooms or swiss mushrooms.
5. A small pack usually contains 3g of bonito flakes which means 1 pack per serving.
6. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 489g calories: 618kcal fat: 33g (51%) saturated fat: 7.4g (37%) trans fat: 0.1g polyunsaturated fat: 7.4g monounsaturated fat: 16g cholesterol: 72mg (24%) sodium: 1411mg (59%) potassium: 970mg (28%) carbohydrates: 45g (15%) dietary fibre: 5.4g (22%) sugar: 9g protein: 30g vitamin a: 102% vitamin c: 40% calcium: 6.9% iron: 19%