Looking for a twist on stir fry? Check out our yaki-udon (stir fried udon noodles) recipe. It’s better than take out.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
I’m Asian. My grandma was born and raised in Japan and, as often as we can, we travel to Japan to see her siblings and my family.
When we visit, my favorite things to eat in Japan have the word “yaki” in them. Yaki means grilled over direct heat. I love yakimeshi (Chinese fried rice that’s served in Japan), okonomiyaki (which is a cabbage-based pancake like meal that’s cooked on a hibachi-like grill), and yakisoba (a noodle made on a similar grill).
So, keep that in mind for this yaki udon recipe. It’s udon noodles, which, are boiled like traditional noodles, then stir fried in a wok with a flavorful sauce.
Of course, you could serve the noodles just like that. But, our yaki udon recipe, like most, adds a mix of vegetables to the stir-fried noodles to make a really delicious meal.
Yaki Udon (Stir Fried Udon Noodles) Recipe
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Yaki Udon Ingredients:
You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Olive oil
- Wonton wrappers – You can find these in the produce section of your grocery store.
- Tonkatsu sauce – This is a Japanese sauce that’s thick and similar in flavor to Worcestershire, but also with a bunch of other flavors.
- Worcestershire sauce – This will thin out the Tonkatsu sauce without dulling the flavor.
- Fresh garlic – Fresh is always best.
- Fresh ginger – You can find fresh ginger in the produce section of your grocery store. Find a piece that a little more than you think you’ll need because some parts are hard to peel and you’ll end up discarding those.
- Bacon – We prefer low-sodium bacon because this dish has enough salt.
- Snow peas – Fresh or frozen is fine. If you do frozen, just defrost it before cooking.
- Red onion – The sweetness of the red onion cuts through the savory flavors in this dish.
- Shredded cabbage – You can either shred this yourself or buy it pre-shredded in a bag.
- Udon noodles with beef soup base – We’re going to use the soup base for flavoring, so you want to find the packages with the soup base. They’re less common than the plain noodles-only packs, so make sure you’re getting the right ones.
- Shichimi togarashi – This is a Japanese red pepper seasoning.
How To Make Yaki Udon:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
Slice the wonton wrappers into thin strips.
Drop a few slices of the wonton wrapper into the oil, allowing them to crisp.
This should only take a few seconds. Don’t put too many in at once or they will become one big clump. Set aside.
Peel the ginger.
Mince the garlic and ginger.
Pour the Tonkatsu and Worcestershire sauces into a small bowl. And the minced garlic and ginger. Stir until the sauce ingredients are combined, then set the yaki udon sauce aside.
Fry the bacon in a wok until it is crisp.
Quick note: If you don’t have a wok, you can use a large frying pan. However, a wok is the traditional way to cook this. It’s better for stir frying because it has high sides so there’s less of a chance oil splattering.
Remove the bacon from the heat, but leave the bacon grease in the wok.
When the bacon is cool to the touch, chop it into small pieces.
Add the snow peas to the wok and stir fry them over medium-high heat for about two minutes until they start to get tender.
Thinly slice the onion and add it to the wok. Stir fry until they start to become translucent, about five minutes.
Add the shredded cabbage to the wok and stir fry until it’s soft, above five minutes.
Quick note: These are the vegetables we use, but feel free to experiment with your favorite vegetables.
In a large pot, prepare the udon soup base according to the package instructions.
Add the udon noodles to the boiling soup base to soften and separate noodles (approximately one to two minutes). This will also infuse a bit of the soup base flavor into the noodles.
Quick note: Udon noodles in these packets are precooked, fresh noodles. So you’re mostly just warming them up. That means you can overcook them really quickly and you’ll have mushy rather than chewy noodles. So be really careful to only cook them for a minute or two.
Drain the udon in a colander, but don’t rinse the noodles.
Add the cooked noodles to the wok.
Sprinkle the shichimi togarashi on top.
You can find togarashi in your local Asian grocery store. If you don’t want to buy a bottle for one recipe (I don’t blame you), you can use chili powder and a pinch of salt instead.
Pour the sauce into the wok and stir fry until the ingredients are well blended. Add the bacon back and give it all one final stir.
Garnish your plate or bowl of yaki udon with fried wonton wrappers.
Yaki Udon: Frequently Asked Questions
When the yaki udon has cooled to room temperature, store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll last up to three days in the fridge.
Cooked vegetables soften in the fridge, so unfortunately, you’re not going to have crisp vegetables when you reheat this. But it’s still going to be delicious.
So, ideally, you’re going to find the yaki udon packets that come with the soup base to make this recipe.
If you can’t find those, fresh udon noodles cooked in water with a beef bouillon cube added is your best substitution. Fresh or frozen udon noodles are going to have that firm yet chewy texture you’re looking for. Dried udon noodles are fine in a pinch, but they end up softer when they cook, so you’re not gonna get the right texture out of them.
Yaki udon is a main dish as written, although you can absolutely add meat if you feel like this won’t fill you up. Slices of beef or chicken work better than ground beef or chicken. Shrimp would work really well because it cooks quickly.
Thinly slice then season your choice of protein. Add it to the wok when you’re cooking the vegetables, then follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Yaki Udon
Looking for a twist on stir fry? Check out our yaki-udon (stir fried udon noodles) recipe. It’s better than take out.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 12 wonton wrappers
- 5 tablespoons of Tonkatsu sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 3 slices of bacon
- 1.5 cups snow peas
- Half a large red onion
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 3 packages of udon noodles with beef soup base
- 1/8 teaspoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
- Slice the wonton wrappers into thin strips.
- Drop a few slices of the wonton wrapper into the oil, allowing them to crisp.
- Pour the Tonkatsu and Worcestershire sauces into a small bowl.
- Mince the garlic and ginger and add them to the bowl. Stir until the sauce ingredients are combined, then set the yaki udon sauce aside.
- Fry the bacon in a wok until it is crisp.
- Remove the bacon from the heat, but leave the bacon grease in the wok. When the bacon is cool to the touch, chop it into small pieces.
- Add the snow peas to the wok and stir fry them over medium-high heat for about two minutes until they start to get tender.
- Thinly slice the onion and add it to the wok. Stir fry until they start to become translucent, about five minutes.
- Add the shredded cabbage to the wok and stir fry until it’s soft, above five minutes.
- In a large pot, prepare the udon soup base according to the package instructions.
- Add the udon noodles to the boiling soup base to soften and separate noodles (approximately one to two minutes).
- Drain the udon in a colander, but don’t rinse the noodles.
- Add the cooked noodles to the wok.
- Sprinkle the shichimi togarashi on top.
- Pour the sauce into the wok and stir fry until the ingredients are well blended. Add the bacon back and give it all one final stir.
- Garnish your plate or bowl of yaki udon with fried wonton wrappers.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 629Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 50mgSodium 586mgCarbohydrates 71gFiber 8gSugar 11gProtein 26g
Have you made this Yaki Udon recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.