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Yaki udon
焼うどん: thick udon noodles stir-fried with cabbage, mushrooms and a savoury soy glaze
Yaki udon (焼うどん) was first made in Kitakyushu, in northern Kyushu, just after the war, when a café owner ran out of soba for yakisoba and fried udon instead. The thick, chewy noodles are tossed in a hot pan with cabbage, onion, mushrooms and carrot, then glazed with soy, mirin and a little vegetarian Worcestershire-style sauce. Meat is usual in Japan; this vegetarian version gets its richness from shiitake and a fried egg on top. A fast, filling weeknight supper. Chef's tip: get the pan really hot and leave the noodles alone for 30 seconds at a time, so they pick up slightly charred edges; that smoky 'koge' is what makes yaki udon taste like the street-stall version.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the sauce
For the noodles
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp sugar in a cup.
Step 2: Put 2 portions frozen or fresh udon noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water for 1 minute to loosen, then drain well. Shake off as much water as you can so the noodles fry rather than steam.
1 minStep 3: Heat 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. Stir-fry ½ onion and 1 carrot for 2 minutes, then add 3 ½ oz fresh shiitake or chestnut mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes until they colour.
4 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz white cabbage and the white parts of 2 spring onions and toss for 1–2 minutes, until the cabbage is just wilted.
2 minStep 5: Add the noodles and the sauce and toss with tongs for 2 minutes, until the noodles are hot, coated and starting to catch in places. Stir in the green parts of the spring onion and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil.
2 minStep 6: If using 2 eggs, fry them in 1 tsp vegetable oil in a small pan until the whites are crisp at the edges and the yolks still runny.
3 minStep 7: Pile the noodles onto plates, top each with an egg and scatter with 1 tsp aonori (green seaweed flakes) or crumbled nori and 1 tbsp pickled ginger.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yaki udon take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of mirin?
- Rice vinegar with ½ tsp sugar per tbsp.
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