Black Pepper Beef Udon. Bouncy chewy udon noodles coated in a black pepper soy sauce with tender beef and bok choy. Absolutely delicious and savoury. Great for dinner or lunch and especially for a weeknight meal as this comes together in under 30 minutes!
I absolutely love udon. I think it must be one of my top favourite noodles in the noodle world. The chewiness of these soft noodles is the best part of it and the fact that it is wonderful for soaking up any surrounding flavours. Such as the black pepper sauce and juices from the beef in this dish.
The taste of the soy sauce with the hint of vinegar combined with the flavours from the beef is what gives this dish its ultimate flavour. And trust me you won’t be able to stop at one bowl. It’s just so good!
Easy to make!
If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you will know that I love easy recipes for entrées or meals. No one has time to dedicate more than 30-40 minutes to a meal especially on a workday. And this black pepper udon with beef is one of those fast ones.
You’re basically blanching your frozen udon noodles in hot boiling water JUST until loosened, about 1-2 minutes and strain immediately. Next in a wok, pan or a cast iron skillet, you’ll fry you’re pre-cut beef (thanks to hot pot style beef that you can find at most Asian or Korean grocers) with the minced garlic into the pan with oil. Toss in the garlic and give it a mix. Frying the beef until its 75% cooked.
Then you’ll throw in your bok choy, udon noodles, and the rest of your ingredients giving everything a mix, cooking it over medium high heat. Once everything is mixed and the noodles are steaming hot, serve to enjoy! That is how easy and simple these black pepper beef noodles are!
I also share how I made it if you check out my YouTube Channel or click the video below to watch.
Tips for making this dish
Tips to guide you on how to make black pepper beef with udon noodles:
- To make things easier, try to find hot pot style beef which is already cut for you and rolled up. This cut of beef is very tender and makes things more convenient as it’s already pre-cut.
- Another tip to make this dish easy, buy pre-minced garlic. I use this stuff all the time in my recipes. I typically source mine from the Korean grocer as I find they don’t add additives or preservatives.
- ONLY BLANCH your noodles. Do not bring them to a boil. This will overcook your udon causing for soggy noodles.
- Split apart the leaves of the bok choy to allow for this dish to cook faster and more evenly. You can do this by hand or for ease, slice off the base of the vegetable and discard.
- Make sure to wash in between the leaves of the bok choy as there is usually dirt in between.
- Only fry your beef until it’s 75% cooked and no further. This will cause for overcooked dry beef because you’re frying the noodles and veggies after that.
- Have all your sauces ready or pre-whisk it in a bowl to pour over your noodles. This quickens things up and prevents your noodles from becoming overcooked in the pan.
- Once everything is mixed and you see steam pipe from your noodles, remove off the heat immediately. The beef and veggies are cooked by now since the beef is cut so thinly.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about this udon recipe:
Where can I buy udon?
Udon noodles can be found at most Asian grocers. I like to buy the frozen kind as it yields the best texture. Some western markets may have it.
Where can I find dark soy sauce?
It’s usually found at most Asian grocers in the sauce aisle and sometimes at Western grocers?
Where do I buy Chinkiang Vinegar or Chinese Black Vinegar?
This is a common ingredient found at most Asian grocers or you may find it online for this black pepper noodles recipe.
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed my black pepper beef udon noodles recipe, check out these other udon dishes:
GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP UDON
CURRY UDON NOODLE STIR FRY
GARLIC SHRIMP TOFU UDON NOODLES
CHAR SIU UDON NOODLE SOUP
SESAME SAUSAGE UDON STIR-FRY
ROSE SHRIMP UDON NOODLES
FISH CAKE UDON STIR FRY
MUSHROOM UDON STIR FRY
JAPANESE YAKI UDON
UDON CARBONARA
STIR FRIED VEGETABLE TOFU UDON
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for my black pepper beef udon recipe:
- 1250 grams udon, frozen kind
- 454 grams hot pot style beef, or very thinly cut marbled beef
- 4 cups Bok Choy
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon black Chinese vinegar or Chinkiang Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon cooking oil
How to make Black Pepper Beef Udon
- In a large pot filled with hot water, bring it to boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully lower frozen udon noodle cakes into the water. Blanch JUST UNTIL loosened and no more than that. Strain immediately. Set aside.
- Then in a large non-stick pan set over medium high heat, add cooking oil. Next add beef and garlic. Cook until beef is 75% cooked.
- Next throw in bok choy and mix in with beef. Cook until veggies are wilted.
- Lastly throw in udon noodles, and remaining ingredients. Give everything a mix until well combined. Once noodles are steaming hot and beef is no longer red, remove off heat and serve hot. Enjoy!
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my Black Pepper Beef Udon a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my fried black pepper beef udon, please share it with your family and friends or on social media!
Take a picture if you've made my recipe and tag me on Instagram @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!
Made this recipe and loved it?
If you could leave a star rating for my black pepper beef udon noodle, I would greatly appreciate it 🙂 Thanks so much!
Take care,
Christie
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Easy Black Pepper Beef Udon
Ingredients
- 1250 grams udon noodle frozen kind
- 454 grams hot pot style beef or very thinly cut marbled beef
- 4 cups Bok Choy
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or as much as desired
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or Chinese Black Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large pot filled with hot water, bring it to boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully lower frozen udon noodle cakes into the water. Blanch JUST UNTIL loosened and no more than that. Strain immediately. Set aside.
- Then in a large non-stick pan set over medium high heat, add cooking oil. Next add beef and garlic. Cook until beef is 75% cooked.
- Next throw in bok choy and mix in with beef. Cook until veggies are wilted.
- Lastly throw in udon noodles, and remaining ingredients. Give everything a mix until well combined. Once noodles are steaming hot and beef is no longer red, remove off heat and serve hot. Enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Those gorgeous udon noodles make this dish, so I really appreciated your tip for how to avoid overcooking the noodles!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
These thick saucy noodles look so good Christie! I can just imagine how delicious this dish is!!
Jennifer Scherping
The black pepper beef udon was quick to cook and the flavours were simple but combined beautifully. I made the udon in a pasta maker which only added about 10 minutes. I will make this again and toss in a bit more bok choi because it's delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
christieathome
I am so happy to read this! Glad you enjoyed my recipe and thanks again for making it! 🙂