Char Siu Udon Noodle Soup. Chewy thick udon noodles swimming in a warm delicious broth with sweet char siu pork, bean sprouts, bok choy and green onions. A quick and tasty lunch or dinner if you have some pre-made or store-bought char siu at home. This dish comes together in less than 15 minutes!
So we’re in a polar vortex here in Ontario, Canada and I thought, “Well, what better way to warm up with some char siu noodles” This bowl of noodles with savoury sliced BBQ pork and veggies will instantly warm the body up in no time. It’s healthy and so delicious. Every time I have this, it really hits the spot!
These char siu udon noodles are similar to a version served at the Chinese restaurants. However, instead of using udon noodles, they use another thicker denser white wheat noodle and they don’t give you as much veggies. It was something I would often order and I couldn’t stop slurping those noodles! It was also common that you could also order roasted duck or roasted crackling pork instead of char siu too.
Easy to make with char siu on hand!
If you have pre-made or store-bought char siu, the process will be very easy for my char siu noodle soup because you’re only re-heating up the char siu, blanching the noodles and veg and boiling the broth with seasoning ingredients! That’s it. But if you don’t have char siu and you want to make everything from scratch then it will take some time, but it is WELL WORTH IT!
Do I have to use char siu?
No feel free to substitute with any flavoured meat or protein of your choice for this char siu noodle recipe! But I love the sweet charred flavour from the char siu and how it compliments the plain white udon noodles in the broth.
Do I have to use udon noodles?
No, feel free to use any noodles you have on hand for my char siu noodle bowl! The broth really pairs well with most noodle types.
What does udon noodle mean?
It’s a thick chewy wide Japanese noodle made of wheat flour and is often used in Japanese cuisine.
Do udon noodles have egg?
No, they contain wheat, flour, and water.
What is char siu?
It’s a delicious Chinese roasted pork where the outside is naturally coloured in red and is charred but sweet thanks to the hoisin, brown sugar, and honey. The inside tastes savoury and rich thanks to the marbling of the fat. It’s commonly served at Chinese BBQ takeaway restaurants or at Chinese restaurants.
What pork is the best char siu?
I would recommend pork butt or pork neck as these two areas of the pig have more fat marbling. Without the fat marbling, it’ll result in very tough, dry, non-juicy char siu.
What is char siu sauce made of?
My char siu sauce is made of hoisin sauce, honey, natural fermented red bean curd, brown sugar, soy sauce, Chinese five spice and dry sherry wine or Chinese cooking wine.
What does char siu mean?
“Cha” means fork and “siu” roasted in Chinese. Traditionally long pieces of pork were skewered on forks and roasted overheat.
Why is the pork in Chinese food red?
It’s red thanks to the natural fermented red bean curd which gives this meat it’s red colour.
Can you buy char siu sauce?
Yes you can find it pre-made in the sauce aisle at Asian grocers.
Other recipes you may like!
CHAR SIU
UDON CARBONARA
WONTON NOODLE SOUP
MUSHROOM UDON SOUP NOODLES
ROSE SHRIMP UDON NOODLES
SESAME SAUSAGE UDON STIR-FRY
FISH CAKE UDON STIR FRY
STIR FRIED VEGETABLE TOFU UDON
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for my char siew noodle:
- 250 grams homemade or store-bought Char Siu, thinly sliced (refer to Notes section below for recipe)
- 2-4 frozen udon cakes (reduce to 2 if you prefer a smaller serving)
- 1 stalks green onions, finely sliced (optional garnish)
- 2-3 cups Bok Choy, sliced into half
- 1 cup bean sprouts, washed
Soup:
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp rice mirin
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 stalk green onion, finely sliced
How to make Char Siu Udon Noodle Soup
- Prepare your ingredients as listed above. If you’re making char siu from scratch, please refer to my recipe here.
- In a medium size pot filled with water, bring it to a boil. Lower your frozen udon noodle cakes into the hot boiling water and loosen. Once loosened, about 30-40 seconds, strain immediately. Any longer and the noodles will go soggy. Divide the noodles and transfer to serving bowls.
- In the same pot, fill it with your soup ingredients. Bring to a boil.
- Once your soup boils, add your bok choy and bean sprouts and blanch until both ingredients are cooked, about 2 minutes for bok choy and 1 minute for bean sprouts. Remove the bok choy and bean sprouts with a slotted spoon. Divide the veggies and place them over top of your udon noodles.
- Next reheat your char siu (if cold) using microwave or you can simply blanch the sliced pieces in the soup for 30-60 seconds and then place over top of noodles.
- Lastly, divide and pour your soup into each bowl of noodles and garnish with green onions (optional). Serve hot and enjoy! If you want the soup saltier, add 1 tbsp more of oyster sauce.
Give it a try!
Well I hope you give my Char Siu Udon Noodle Soup recipe 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 this char siu pork 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!
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Take care,
Christie
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Char Siu Udon Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 250 grams homemade or store-bought
char siu thinly sliced (refer to Notes section below for recipe) - 2-4 frozen udon cakes reduce to 2 if you prefer a smaller serving
- 1 stalks green onions finely sliced (optional garnish)
- 2-3 cups Bok Choy sliced into half
- 1 cup bean sprouts washed
Soup:
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp rice mirin
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 stalk green onion finely sliced
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients as listed above. If you’re making char siu from scratch, please refer to my recipe here.
- In a medium size pot filled with water, bring it to a boil. Lower your frozen udon noodle cakes into the hot boiling water and loosen. Once loosened, about 30-40 seconds, strain immediately. Any longer and the noodles will go soggy. Divide the noodles and transfer to serving bowls.
- In the same pot, fill it with your soup ingredients. Bring to a boil.
- Once your soup boils, add your bok choy and bean sprouts and blanch until both ingredients are cooked, about 2 minutes for bok choy and 1 minute for bean sprouts. Remove the bok choy and bean sprouts with a slotted spoon. Divide the veggies and place them over top of your udon noodles.
- Next reheat your char siu (if cold) using microwave or you can simply blanch the sliced pieces in the soup for 30-60 seconds and then place over top of noodles.
- Lastly, divide and pour your soup into each bowl of noodles and garnish with green onions (optional). Serve hot and enjoy! If you want the soup saltier, add 1 tbsp more of oyster sauce.
The luscious udon noodles and perfectly marbled pork make your soup simply irresistible!
I have never tried making soup with udon noodles before! What a fun and delicious idea!
Noodle soup sounds just about perfect for this -30 weather we're getting right now! I feel warmer already!