Stir-fried Udon noodles

Udon noodles are thick Japanese wheat noodles. They are similar to Italian pasta but much thicker and completely without egg. The texture of udon noodles is chewy and chunky which makes them fun to eat and satisfying to cook. You often find them served as a hot noodle soup in their simplest form. They are also widely used as stir-fry noodles or served cold with salads.

A couple of years ago, I travelled to Japan with my Mom and sister and luckily we had the chance to visit a famous Udon academy. We joined a 2-hour workshop and learned how to make udon from scratch. It was so simple because udon noodles only require three ingredients – wheat flour, water and salt. It was such an experience for someone who likes cook…. and eat 😛

Today I am not going to show you how to make udon from scratch (drop me a message if anyone is interested), I am sharing my other super lazy and quick 15-minute stir-fried udon noodle recipe. Unlike other Asian noodles, most udon comes fresh in a packet, so you save time by having pre-cooked noodles… Amazing isn’t it?

The key to successful and amazing stir-fried udon is the timing; get your vegetables and sauce prepared before you start to stir-fry. If you want to learn how to cook stir-fry noodles like a pro, you can get more tips here.

First, cut the spring onions into two parts (green and white) and slice them at a 45º angle as shown in the picture. This allows the flavour of spring onion to release better when stir-fried.

Set aside, keeping the white and green parts separate.

Finely slice all the vegetables.

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, then set aside.

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan or a wok if you like and add the white parts of spring onion. Fry for one minute until the edges turn slightly golden in colour. Add the vegetables, stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, then add the noodles…

Pour in the sauce mix and toss until the sauce covers all the noodles equally. It should only take 3-4 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add in the bean sprouts and the green parts of spring onion and mix for another 30-40 seconds.

Bean sprouts normally cook really fast and I like my bean sprouts slightly crunchy so I add them in after I turn off the heat. The remaining heat from the pan and noodles is usually enough to cook the bean sprouts.

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, then the udon noodles are ready!

I used mushrooms, kale, bean sprouts and red peppers for this recipe only because there was some leftover in my fridge. Feel free to replace them with any of your favourite vegetables as long as they are not too watery while they cook. This recipe is super simple and easy to follow, and it is definitely a keeper when it comes to easy weeknight dinners! It’s also a great recipe to use up any of your leftovers. I hope you enjoy frying up udon noodles this week with your favourite veggies!

Hope you enjoy my recipes! If you have followed and made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and take a picture, tagging it with #k33_kitchen and share it on Instagram! I’d be very excited to see what you come up with. Cheers, hope you enjoy my recipes!