According to “The Woks of Life” cookbook, this Yaki Udon with pork and vegetables is a tasty one-pan meal that’s also very open to adaptation and interpretation. You can replace the pork with chicken, beef, or tofu, and use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just don’t skip the first step of the recipe, which you might not find in other versions!
This dish is similar to yakisoba, differing only in terms of the type of noodle used. While udon noodles are often served in soup, their thickness makes them great for stir-fries as well. And there is no need to buy frozen udon noodles if you happen to have a dry-packaged variety on hand.
Before stir-frying anything, you’re going to melt together butter, garlic, and dashi powder. Then, you let the udon noodles fry in the garlic/dashi butter until they crisp up a bit on the outside. Then you proceed with the regular steps to put together the recipe. We garnished with diagonally sliced scallion.
Not familiar with dashi powder? Neither were we. But don’t omit the the Japanese soup stock because it makes the dish taste very authentic. We ordered it online and received within 2 days. The umami profile consists of shiitake mushrooms, kombu kelp, dried flying fish, dried sardine and dried bonito flakes.
*While the original instructions suggest you can use a large Dutch oven, non-stick pot, or large cast iron skillet, we highly recommend a non-stick vessel. We used our large Le Crueset braising pot and the ingredients crusted to the bottom of the pot which was difficult to remove.
Yaki Udon
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen or dry-packaged udon noodles
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. dashi powder
- 1 Tbsp. oil
- 4 oz. pork shoulder, julienned; can substitute chicken, beef, seafood, pressed tofu, or more vegetables
- 4 oz. oyster or shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. mirin
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. water
- 3 scallions, 2 julienned; 1 diagonally sliced for garnish
Directions
- Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the udon noodles. Boil for 30 seconds – 1 minute to loosen them. If using dried noodles, cook according to package instructions. Drain, rinse in cold water to remove excess starch, and drain thoroughly again. Set aside.
- Place a large Dutch oven, non-stick pot, or large cast iron skillet* over medium heat. When the pan is heated, add the butter. Once partially melted, stir in the garlic and dashi granules. Cook for 30 seconds, until the dashi partially dissolves. At this point, the butter should be a light brown color.
- Add the drained noodles and toss to coat them in the butter. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, until the noodles have dried out and are slightly crisped. Remove and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to the pot, along with the pork shoulder. Brown the pork until crisp on the edges. Add the mushrooms and mirin, and cook until caramelized.
- Add the cabbage, carrot, pepper, soy sauce, and water. Stir-fry until the vegetables are wilted, and add the noodles back in, along with the scallions. Stir-fry for another minute. Serve!
Adapted from a recipe in The Woks of Life cookbook
Accounting for Taste 