Garlic Shrimp Udon Noodles. Saucy, savoury, thick chewy noodles enveloped in a glossy sauce, juicy shrimps, fried tofu balls and bok choy.
A quick meal that will truly hit the spot like no other. Perfect for dinner or lunch. Ready in 15-20 minutes.
One of my Favorite Recipes!
There is something so special about this udon noodles dish. I could probably eat oodles of noodles when it comes to this recipe. Those bouncy shrimps with the leafy greens and fried tofu balls soaked in sauce on top of the noodles is pure comfort food. It's like a comfy blanket when you're craving something warm, delicious, and filling.
Perfect as one of those weeknight meals that come together relatively quickly. This is one of those noodle dishes inspired by Japanese cuisine as they commonly use udon noodles in their stir fries.
Easy Dish
This quick meal comes together in a total time of 15-20 minutes! This is one of those easy shrimp udon stir fry recipes that can be made easily in the comfort of your own home. My quick noodles with the garlic prawns are so satisfying. Most of the ingredients can be found at most Asian grocers.
Ingredients
You will need the below ingredients for these garlic shrimp udon noodles:
- Udon noodles: I highly recommend using fresh udon noodles or frozen udon noodles as they have a chewy texture.
- The frozen or fresh kind are much chewier than the vacuum sealed kind that sit at room temperature. They also don't break apart easily like the shelf stable kind.
- Japanese udon noodles are wheat-flour noodles or wheat noodles. They are not egg noodles, but you may use egg noodles. Udon noodles cook very quickly, in just a couple of minutes in boiling hot water.
- However, if you're using another type of noodle, please follow package directions. Most Asian grocery stores and select Western grocers will carry this wheat flour noodle in their frozen section.
- Shrimp: Extra jumbo or jumbo shrimp or black tiger shrimp work exceptionally well for this noodle stir fry. Jumbo shrimp is key to this 15-minute garlic prawn udon as they cook quickly in less than 1-2 minutes and give a wonderful texture and taste. Most local grocery stores will carry this ingredient in the frozen or fresh seafood section.
- Tip: Purchase the easy peel shrimps that come deveined and peeled.
- Asian Greens: like Bok Choy, Yu Choy (aka Choy Sum), or Napa Cabbage. Gai lan could work as well if you slice the thick stems into smaller pieces. Most Asian grocery stores will carry these greens.
- Fried Tofu Balls: Optional but highly recommend as they are delicious and soak up that tasty sauce.
- If you're vegetarian, you can only use these fried tofu balls by omitting the shrimp and substituting the oyster sauce with vegetarian stir fry sauce.
- Most Asian grocery stores will carry fried tofu balls in clear packaging in the tofu section. If you can't find them, substitute with extra firm tofu or omit altogether.
- Cooking oil: Any cooking oil will work for this recipe including olive oil if you only have that.
- For best taste: I highly recommend a neutral tasting oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil or peanut oil.
Noodle sauce:
- Garlic cloves: You can also use jarred garlic. This gives the savory sauce and the thick udon noodles extra flavor.
- Dark soy sauce: This gives our savoury sauce that dark colour. Most Asian grocery stores will sell this. You can also find this ingredient at select online retailers like Amazon or at your Western grocer in the Asian section.
- Regular soy sauce: We will need 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Just your all-purpose regular soy sauce that says "Soy Sauce" on the label.
- This is not the same as dark soy sauce as it's saltier. You may substitute with light soy sauce but please note that light soy sauce is much saltier than regular so please add in small increments to taste. If you can't find soy sauce, substitute with fish sauce.
- Most Asian grocers and select online retailers like Amazon will carry soy sauce.
- Oyster sauce: We will need 1 tablespoon oyster sauce. This gives our dish extra umami as it's a sauce made of oyster extract.
- Do not confuse this with hoisin sauce even though they look very similar. Hoisin sauce is very sweet. Most Asian grocers and select online retailers like Amazon will carry this ingredient. You can also find this at certain Western grocers in the Asian food aisle.
- Sesame oil: A flavoring oil that gives any dish a nutty flavor and scent. It's truly wonderful and I love adding it to most of my dishes! If you don't have sesame oil, substitute with toasted sesame seeds.
- Sugar: To give our dish a hint of sweetness and it helps to balance out the salty flavors. You can use white sugar or brown sugar.
- Cornstarch/potato starch/tapioca starch: Starch helps to thicken the sauce so it can adhere to the thick noodles.
- Cold Water: we will need a bit of water to help dilute the sauce so it coats all the noodles and other ingredients.
How to make Garlic Shrimp Udon Noodles
These are brief instructions on how to make these garlic shrimp udon noodles. Please scroll down to Recipe Card below for full details.
- In a small bowl, combine Noodle sauce ingredients as listed.
- In a large wok or pot filled with water on high heat, bring to a boil. Carefully lower udon noodles. Loosen them immediately and once loosened (about 20-30 seconds), strain immediately. Set strained noodles aside. If you're using another type of noodle, please cook according to packet instructions.
- In the same wok or a large frying pan on medium heat, add cooking oil. Once oil is hot, carefully add in shrimp and fry on each side until 50% cooked.
- Toss in fried tofu balls and bok choy. Give everything a mix and fry until veggies have wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Next throw in your strained udon noodles and noodle sauce. Mix everything together and remove off heat once mixed. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips for making this udon recipe
- Prepare all your ingredients in advance. I say this a lot for all my noodle recipes but trust me on this. If you attempt to multi-task, this can lead to overcooked soggy noodles because you may be focusing on chopping the veggies as you’re blanching the noodles, then 20 seconds will have past and they’re overcooked.
- Use extra jumbo or black tiger shrimps. This is such a key to this recipe. Extra jumbo or black tiger shrimp really offer that chewy meatiness that is undeniably delicious.
- Use frozen udon noodle cakes. After much experimentation and cooking with all types of noodles specifically udon, the best and tastiest kind is the frozen kind. I’ve tried using the preserved kind in past recipes, and when blanching them, they sometimes come apart really easily. Frozen udon noodle cakes can be found at any Asian or Korean grocer.
FAQ
These are frequently asked questions about my garlic shrimp udon noodles:
How long will this dish last for?
Up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
I'm allergic to garlic, any other substitutes?
Yes, feel free to use green onions or spring onion. Just make sure to separate the white parts from the green part and fry the white parts first. Then garnish with the green parts later. You may also substitute with yellow onion.
What other veggies can I use instead?
Bell pepper, shiitake mushroom, bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, snow peas, sliced carrots, broccoli and other non-Asian leafy greens like Kale or Swiss Chard could work!
Can I make this spicy?
Yes, add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or chili oil to your sauce mixture to make this spicy.
Other Udon Recipes You May Like!
- Udon Carbonara
- Sesame Sausage Udon Stir-Fry
- Rose Shrimp Udon Noodles
- Fish Cake Udon Stir Fry
- Mushroom Udon Stir Fry
- Japanese Yaki Udon
- Stir Fried Vegetable Tofu Udon
- Mushroom Udon Soup Noodles
Or check out Joyous Apron's (she's my friend!) delicious Simple Thai Noodle Bowl!
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Easy Garlic Shrimp Udon Noodles
Ingredients
- 750 grams udon noodle frozen kind recommended (or any thick noodles)
- 15 jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3-4 cups baby bok choy or Yu Choy with ends cut off
- 140 grams fried tofu balls halved, optional (or sub with extra firm tofu)
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
Noodle sauce:
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil or toasted sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon white granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine Noodle sauce ingredients as listed.
- In a large wok or pot filled with water on high heat, bring to a boil. Carefully lower udon noodles. Loosen them immediately and once loosened (about 20-30 seconds), strain immediately. Set strained noodles aside. If you're using another type of noodle, please cook according to packet instructions.
- In the same wok or a large frying pan on medium heat, add avocado oil. Once oil is hot, carefully add in shrimp and fry on each side until 50% cooked.
- Toss in bok choy and fried tofu balls (optional). Give everything a mix and fry until veggies have wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Next throw in your strained udon noodles and noodle sauce. Mix everything together and immediately remove off heat once mixed. Enjoy!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Those thick, saucy noodles are calling my name!! Garlic and shrimp were meant to be, don't you think?
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys
These noodles look so tasty! I love the addition of garlic and shrimp, that sounds delicious.
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Yum, these garlic shrimp udon noodles look so delicious!
Katerina | Once a Foodie
Another mouthwatering recipe from Christie's kitchen! I am never disappointed, honestly, Christie... this looks so delightful and I love the presentation.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The combination of the thick udon noodles and shrimp is absolutely tantalizing served in your homemade noodle sauce!