Black Pepper Beef Udon

Black Pepper Beef Udon. Bouncy chewy udon noodles with tender beef and leafy greens coated in a luscious black pepper soy sauce. A classic dish that is so simple and easy to make at home in less than 20 minutes!

​The perfect noodle dish for dinner, lunch or a meal when time is of the essence! Also great for a family meal. ​

​What is Black Pepper Beef Udon?

Black Pepper Beef Udon Noodles are made of chewy udon noodles, tender steak, leafy greens such as Yu Choy (or Choy Sum) or Bok Choy stir fried in a garlicky black pepper sauce. The natural flavor from the beef and black pepper sauce compliment each other so well. This Asian dish is also so easy to whip up!

What are Udon Noodles?

Udon noodles are a white, thick and bouncy noodle made of wheat flour, water and salt. They originate from Japan and are commonly used in many noodle recipes! I share some common udon noodle recipes below if you're interested. 

Best Kind of Udon Noodles to Use?

Frozen ones! Avoid the shelf stable kind that is vacuum sealed.  They tend to break apart easily, are less bouncy and just don't taste as great as the ones that are frozen.  You can find frozen ones at any Asian grocery store and opt for the ones from Japan or Korea. 

Quick & Easy Recipe

This noodle recipe is so quick and simple! It comes together in less than 20 minutes!  The cooking process only takes about 5-6 minutes as the thin strips of beef cook very quickly. There's also no marinating process. Most of the recipe time goes towards preparing the ingredients at a reasonable pace! You can find most of the ingredients at your Asian grocer or if you have an established Asian pantry, you may not need to purchase anymore ingredients!

Ingredients

You’ll need the below ingredients for main ingredients. Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements. 

Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.   

Main Ingredients

• Udon noodles: opt for the frozen kind and soak them in hot water to loosen (no need to boil them in a large pot of water). I share why above and if you want the best results for these black pepper noodles, you got to use the frozen kind.
  • If you can't find the frozen kind you may also substitute with the shelf stable kind or any thick wheat noodles of your choice. Just prepare them according to package instructions. Most Chinese, Japanese or Korean grocers will carry frozen udon. 
• Rib eye beef: thinly sliced kind. I like using the hot pot kind sold at Asian grocery stores in the frozen section. Sometimes it's called "shabu shabu beef" but it's essentially rib eye steak that is thinly cut. These cook very quickly.
  • However, if you can't source this, substitute with normal rib eye steak and freeze it for 45-60 minutes exposed to the cold air.  Then cut it with a sharp knife. You can also substitute with flank steak too. 

• Leafy Asian Greens: feel free to use any tender Asian greens you have, such as yu choy or sometimes known as choy sum or bok choy.
  • Gai lan could work too but slice the thick stalks into thinner pieces or they will be very tough to eat. You could parboil the gai lan first to make them tender before throwing them into the stir fry.  
• Garlic: to add a delicious garlicky flavor to our dish! If you're allergic to garlic, substitute with white, yellow or red onion.
• Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils. 

Black Pepper Sauce:

• Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you're not a fan of oyster. This is a thick dark brown sauce with a lot of umami flavor. It's also different from Hoisin sauce. 
• Dark soy sauce: this is different from regular soy sauce. It's darker in color to make our noodles brown and thicker in viscosity.
• Regular soy sauce: aka all-purpose soy sauce. The label will simply say "soy sauce". This is different from dark soy sauce, which is darker in color and thicker in viscosity. You may also substitute with light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce.
• Chinese black vinegar: a black sometimes dark brown tangy vinegar. This helps to balance the salty flavors from the soy sauce. You may also substitute with rice vinegar. 
• Toasted Sesame oil: a wonderful oil that offers a tasty nutty flavor and aroma. You can also substitute with sesame seeds. 
• Black pepper: The star to this dish giving our noodles and beef that black pepper flavor! Some like to grind fresh black peppercorns for this dish, but it's too much trouble and normal black pepper is suffice!
• Cornstarch: a little bit of cornstarch to help thicken the sauce and make it stick to the noodles
• Chicken stock, unsalted: or substitute with low-sodium beef stock or even cold water will work. 

​How to Make Black Pepper Beef Udon

In a large bowl, soak frozen udon noodles in hot boiling water just until loosened, about 1-2 minutes. Do not over soak or they can go soggy. Strain noodles and set aside. 

In a small bowl combine Black Pepper Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.  

In a wok or large frying pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, add minced garlic, and fry for 5 to 10 seconds until fragrant. 

Next add in thinly sliced beef and stir fry until 60% cooked. Remove and set aside. Note: We don’t want to fully cook the beef as we’ll be stir frying it again later over higher heat.

Increase to medium-high heat, add udon noodles with noodle sauce. Mix well and cook until sauce has slightly thickened and isn’t so runny. 

Toss in greens and cook until they’re wilted. 

Toss in cooked beef and stir fry for another minute. Serve and enjoy! 

​Storage

This dish will last up 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. To reheat, reheat in a pan and add 2 tablespoon of water to help loosen the noodles and sauce. 

​FAQ

What cut of beef can I use aside from rib eye?

Some substitutes for ribeye steak can include:

• flat iron steak
• flank steak
• strip steak
• sirloin steak

Can I add or substitute with other vegetables?

Yes! Below are some suggestions:

• red bell pepper
• baby corn 
• snap peas
• snow peas
• carrots
• celery

How can I make this spicy?

Feel free to add some red pepper flakes, or chili peppers to make this spicy. 

​Can I substitute with other noodles?

Yes! Any thick bouncy wheat noodle that you enjoy will work, such as thick yellow egg noodles, yaki soba or even ramen noodles but you'll need to prepare the noodles according to package directions.

Other Udon Noodle recipes you may enjoy!

If you enjoyed this udon noodle recipe, you may like these recipes: 

• Garlic Shrimp Udon Noodles
• Mushroom Udon Noodles
• Creamy Mushroom Udon Noodles
• 10-min. Garlic Chili Udon Noodles
• Udon Carbonara