Stir-Fried Udon Noodles

Udon noodles are thick wheat flour noodles, much more substantial than soba or ramen and definitely chewier. Their main attraction is known as their ‘koshi-ness’, the elasticity and bite in each mouthful. Although not the most common type of noodle in the West, in Japan they are as commonly eaten as pasta. Here they are stir-fried with pork, prawns and plenty of fresh vegetables for a super-quick, delicious meal.
Serves
Serves 2
Total Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients
500g of frozen udon noodles
3 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of mirin
20g of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
120g of pork belly, thinly sliced into 3cm strips
40g of prawns, peeled and deveined
40g of squid, trimmed and sliced into rings
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
80g of savoy cabbage, sliced into thin strips
80g of beansprouts
1 tsp of katsuobushi dashi powder
A pinch of ground white pepper
To serve
2 spring onions, finely chopped
Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
1 tsp of aonori (nori seaweed flakes)
Method
Step 1

Defrost the udon noodles by immersing them in a bowl or pan of just-boiled water. Stir gently until disentangled and softened. Drain well and set aside.

Step 2

Combine the soy sauce, mirin and grated ginger in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 3

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan (about 30cm in diameter is good) over a high heat. Add the pork belly slices and fry, stirring, until nicely browned. Add the prawns and squid rings after about 2 minutes and halfway through cooking the pork.

Step 4

Add the onion, carrot and cabbage to the pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes more.

Step 5

Add the cooked udon noodles and beansprouts, then stir-fry with the vegetables for 1 minute.

Step 6

Add the dashi powder and the soy sauce, mirin and ginger mixture and stir-fry just until all the ingredients are coated in the seasonings.

Step 7

Finally, stir in the ground white pepper.

Step 8

Divide the udon noodles onto plates, and serve topped with spring onions/ scallions, katsuobushi and aonori.

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