Deciding on what to make for dinner, day in and day out, can sometimes seem monotonous. Even for a foodie like me, I get stuck from time to time and lose the desire.
The other day, as I looked into the pantry to see what would jump out – I stood there for what seemed eternity. I just couldn’t get into the mood to cook. A few weeks ago I picked up a package of udon noodles and thought they would be a perfect pantry staple and they were! I took the udon noodles out of the pantry and immediately knew what I would make for supper. Yaki udon was a favorite of ours when we lived in Asia. Udon are thick, chewy noodles and are perfect in a stir-fry or soup. The ingredients for yaki udon make perfect use of whatever veggies are in your fridge.
Serves 2
2 packages of udon noodles
1 to 2 pork chops (depending on size), sliced into thin strips
4 or 5 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 a small Napa cabbage, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 green onions, chopped
1-inch ginger, sliced then chopped
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
Bonito flakes or strips cut from a Nori sheet (optional but good if you can buy it)
In a small bowl stir to combine soy sauce, Mirin, sugar and sesame oil.
In a wok or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and add udon noodles. Gently stir-fry to break apart noodles – try not to cut the noodles as they should be kept long. Once noodles have separated and warmed, remove from wok and place in a bowl. In the same wok, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and turn up the heat to medium-high. Toss in pork strips and cook; stirring frequently until meat is no longer pink. Add carrot, mushroom, red pepper, ginger, and onion and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add cabbage and cook further until vegetables get lightly wilted. Add Udon and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour soy sauce mixture over noodle mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately with chopped green onion and bonito flakes.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Udon noodles are available at local grocery shops usually found in the Asian or International section. Enjoy!
- 2 packages of udon noodles
- 1 to 2 pork chops (depending on size), sliced into thin strips
- 4 or 5 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, sliced
- ½ a small Napa cabbage, sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1-inch ginger, sliced then chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- ½ an onion, thinly sliced
- Bonito flakes or strips cut from a Nori sheet (optional but good if you can buy it)
- In a small bowl stir to combine soy sauce, Mirin, sugar and sesame oil.
- In a wok or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and add udon noodles. Gently stir-fry to break apart noodles – try not to cut the noodles as they should be kept long. Once noodles have separated, remove from wok and place in a bowl. In the same wok, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and turn up the heat to medium-high. Toss in pork strips and cook; stirring frequently until meat is no longer pink. Add carrot, mushroom, red pepper, ginger, and onion and stir fry for a minute. Add cabbage and cook further until vegetables get lightly wilted. Add Udon and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour soy sauce mixture over noodle mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately with chopped green onion and bonito flakes.
The post Yaki Udon appeared first on The Culinary Chase.
