Yaki Udon Noodles

Bouncy udon noodles stir-fried in a sweet and savory sauce with crisp vegetables and protein. My quick and easy yaki udon recipe is ready in 15 minutes! A delicious main or meal made with simple ingredients in one pan. It's family-friendly, cheaper and better than takeout.

What is Yaki Udon?

Yaki Udon features udon noodles stir-fried in a sweet, tangy, and savory sauce with mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, onions, green onions, and protein.

These noodles are a beloved Japanese dish and are usually served at Izakayas, Japanese restaurants or sometimes at konbinis.

It's one of my favourite Asian noodle dishes thanks to the flavorful sauce and the chewy texture of the udon.

The best part about these Japanese noodles is that you can make it with any protein or vegetables you like and it uses up leftover ingredients in the fridge.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

• Udon Noodles: Use frozen or fresh udon for best texture and opt for shelf-stable vacuum-sealed udon as a last resort as they break easily and are not as chewy. Or substitute with thick wheat noodles, yaki soba noodles, or ramen noodles and prepare according to package directions.
• Pork Belly: Or replace with pork shoulder or extra-lean ground pork.
• Green Cabbage: Or substitute with napa cabbage, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, or yu choy sum.
• Button Mushrooms: Or substitute with shiitake mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, seafood mushrooms or black oyster mushrooms.
• Carrots: Or substitute with bell peppers.
• Onions: Or substitute with shallots.
• Green Onions
• Garlic Cloves
• Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.

Noodle Sauce

• Dark Soy Sauce: Or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce or season with more regular soy sauce to taste at the end of cooking.
• Regular Soy Sauce: Or substitute with low-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
• Oyster Sauce: Or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
• Mirin: A sweet Japanese cooking wine. Or substitute with non-alcoholic mirin or 1 tablespoon cold water + 1 drop of rice vinegar + a pinch of white sugar.
• Rice Vinegar: Or substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
• White Granulated Sugar: Or substitute with cane sugar or honey.

Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online.

Variations

• Chicken or Beef Version - Replace pork belly with sliced chicken thighs, extra-lean ground chicken, flank steak, or extra-lean ground beef.
• Seafood Version - Replace pork with shrimp or scallops.
• Gluten-free Version - Use gluten-free udon, gluten-free oyster sauce and gluten-free mirin. Replace both soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
• Vegetarian Version: Replace the pork belly with extra-firm tofu or scrambled eggs and the oyster sauce with vegetarian-stir fry sauce.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make yaki udon:

1. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.

2. Prepare noodles: In a large bowl, soak udon noodles in hot boiling water until loosened, about 30 seconds. Strain and do not rinse off with cold water.

3. Cook pork belly: Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry pork belly until golden brown on the edges and fats has rendered. Remove and set aside.

4. Cook aromatics and veggies: Reduce to medium heat and stir-fry garlic and onions until softened, about 30 seconds. Add cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots and fry until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Optional: add ¼ cup water to cook the veggies faster and fully evaporate it before the next step.

5. Add noodles, sauce and pork: Add noodles, noodle sauce, and pork belly. Toss until noodles are evenly coated.

6. Garnish: Transfer cooked noodles to a large serving plate and garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Pairing Suggestions

Yaki udon pairs well with:

• Starters: Miso soup, Korokke, or Crab corn salad.
• Seafood Dishes: Shrimp tempura, panko shrimp or ebi mayo.
• Protein Dishes: Ramen eggs, Chicken katsu, Tonkatsu, Tofu katsu, Fish katsu bites, karaage, Teriyaki tofu, Teriyaki chicken, Enoki beef rolls or Ginger miso salmon.
• Noodle Dishes: Yaki Udon, Black Pepper Beef Udon, Creamy Mushroom Udon, Creamy Rose Bacon Udon, Udon Carbonara, or Garlic Shrimp Udon.
• Rice Dishes: Gyudon, Oyakodon, Katsudon, or Omurice.
• Rice balls: Shrimp tempura rice ball, tuna onigiri, spicy tuna onigiri, pork katsu onigirazu.

FAQ