Chewy udon noodles stir-fried with bouncy flavorful fish balls and veggies in a mild curry sauce! This quick and easy curry udon noodle stir-fry is ready in 20 minutes. A great main dish or meal for all the curry lovers!
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These Asian noodle stir-fry features udon noodles with fish balls, bok choy, carrots, garlic chives, green onions and garlic in a light and mild curry sauce.
The combination of curry, udon and fish balls make for an incredibly tasty dish as they all pair so well together. It's a simple Japanese-inspired dish that I created based on my love for these ingredients!
This is a very easy dish for the whole family because the fish balls are pre-seasoned so there's little preparation and a great way to add seafood to your diet!
What are fish balls? They're savory circular balls made of minced seafood from crab, fish, lobster, to shrimp with starch and other seasonings.
If you're not a fan of fish balls or certain vegetables, you can also substitute them with the suggestions below.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Frozen Udon Noodles: these are thick wheat flour noodles that most Asian markets sell in the frozen section or substitute with freshly made udon noodles and prepare according to package directions. Avoid shelf-stable udon noodles in vacuum-sealed packaging, if possible, as they easily break apart and aren't as chewy.
- Fish Balls: these are circular made of minced seafood like fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, or squid combined with starch and seasoning. Asian markets sell them in the refrigerated or freezer section. Pick a flavor that you would enjoy! Or substitute with fish cakes or fish cake sheets and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Carrots: or substitute with snow peas, snap peas, thinly sliced bell peppers or baby corn.
- Baby Bok Choy: or substitute with regular bok choy chopped into thinner pieces, yu choy sum, baby gai-lan or green cabbage.
- Garlic Chives (aka Chinese chives): these are very long and flat green chives and they are not the same as regular chives. They're sold at Asian markets.
- Green Onions
- Fresh Garlic
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
Noodle Sauce
- Oyster sauce: this is a thick brown sauce made of oysters that adds a lot of umami flavor. Or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
- Dark soy sauce: this is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce. Or substitute with more regular soy sauce but add to taste.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Japanese Curry Powder: this is less spicy than regular curry powder. As a last resort, you can substitute with regular curry powder.
- White Granulated Sugar
- Chicken Bouillon Powder: a chicken stock powder to add more depth to the noodle dish.
- Sesame Oil: for that nutty flavor. If you're allergic to sesame, omit it.
- Cold Water
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Choose a fish ball flavor that you enjoy since there are many kinds available.
- Don't over soak the frozen udon noodles or they will become soggy later.
- Fry the fish balls until golden and crispy for a delicious texture.
- Stir fry the veggies until wilted and avoid overcooking them.
- Don't over stir fry the noodles with the other ingredients or they will get soggy. Once they are incorporated with the sauce, remove it off heat.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make curry udon noodle stir-fry:
- In a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, soak frozen udon noodles with hot boiling water for about 30 second until loosened. Strain immediately and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat, fry fish balls. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fry garlic, carrots, bok choy and garlic chives until veggies have softened.
- Toss in udon noodles with the noodle sauce and green onions until combined. Remove off heat and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing these noodles because the vegetables and noodles will get soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
These noodles serve well with:
- starters like miso soup, or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing or korokke.
- seafood dishes like shrimp tempura, or panko shrimp
- protein dishes like air fryer chicken katsu, chicken katsu or tonkatsu, tofu katsu, fish katsu bites, or karaage
- rice dishes like oyakodon, katsudon, or omurice
- noodle dishes like Japanese Yaki Udon
FAQ
This curry noodle stir-fry can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
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📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Curry Udon Noodle Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs udon noodle frozen kind (or sub with fresh udon & prepare to package directions)
- 7.97 oz fish balls store-bought, halved
- 2 cups baby bok choy ends trimmed, washed and strained
- 2 cups garlic chives chopped into 2-inch segments
- 1 cup carrot julienned
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnishing
Noodle Sauce
- 3 tablespoon curry powder (for a less spicy version: use half the amount)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon regular soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (aka chicken stock powder)
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ½ cup water cold
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine noodle sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, soak frozen udon noodles with hot boiling water for about 30 second until loosened. Strain immediately and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat, fry fish balls. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fry garlic, carrots, bok choy and garlic chives until veggies have softened.
- Toss in udon noodles with the noodle sauce and green onions until combined. Remove off heat and enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
That was a great tip for how to handle the frozen udon noodles... I really need to give this a try!
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys
Such a flavorful stir fry idea! I love the use of fish balls, too!