Honey-Glazed Mushrooms With Udon

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated Jan. 17, 2024

Honey-Glazed Mushrooms With Udon
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(5,507)
Comments
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In this weeknight dish, caramelized mushrooms are bathed in a satiny glaze of honey and butter, delivering the winning trifecta of sweet, savory and earthy. Cremini mushrooms are the hardest workers of the fungi world; they are inexpensive and accessible, and while they may not feel as fancy as some wild varieties, with some time in the pan, they burst with complex flavor. (Button mushrooms also do the job well.) Chubby udon are the ideal carriers for the luscious sauce, but for the most satisfying results, use fresh or frozen noodles, rather than the thinner dried strands. (Though in a pinch, they work, too).

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • 1½pounds frozen or fresh udon noodles (vacuum-sealed)
  • 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed
  • 1pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced into ¼-inch pieces
  • 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Black pepper
  • 3tablespoons honey
  • 4tablespoons butter, preferably salted (see Tip)
  • ½small head Napa cabbage, finely sliced (about 1 pound)
  • 3tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2scallions, finely sliced
  • 1tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

711 calories; 17 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 117 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 1059 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the udon noodles and cook for about 2 minutes, using wooden chopsticks or tongs to gently loosen the noodles from their tight bundle. Drain, rinse with cold water and leave to continue draining while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a wok or large (12-inch) skillet on medium-high, until very hot. Add oil and mushrooms, and stir-fry for 7 to 8 minutes, leaving undisturbed for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time, to allow them to caramelize. (Be patient: They will release a lot of liquid, then start to brown.) Add the garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper. Drizzle the mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of honey, then add 3 tablespoons of butter and toss.

  3. Step 3

    Add the udon noodles, Napa cabbage and soy sauce to the pan, then toss for 2 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted and everything is well combined. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon butter. Taste and season with more salt and black pepper, if required. To serve, scatter with scallions and sesame seeds.

Tip
  • If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt in Step 2.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,507 user ratings
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Comments

LB

Delicious meal! However, modifications are needed. As with other comments, use only half of the honey. In addition, don’t use all of the suggested soy sauce (a little goes a long way). Just before removing from pan to serving platter or bowls, if you have, add about 1tb spoon of toasted sesame oil. Just before eating, a spritz of lime on the noodles brings the dish alive! Note: chili oil crunch (momofoku) goes well with this dish. Dish now on family meal rotation 😎

Elizabeth

There is no difference between button and cremini mushrooms except color; "cremini" is a marketing term invented to promote the brown button mushrooms that no one thought shoppers would buy since they were only familiar with white ones. The flavor of this dish will not be affected by substitution of white mushrooms for cremini. We just think cremini look more like wild mushrooms.

lola

Why is this recipe hiding under all the others? So yummy and simple. I typically like my udon busy but seasoning the udon with the mushroom "sauce" and soy sauce was fantastic. I skipped the cabbage (because I didn't have any), used only 2 tbsp of butter, and topped with an egg.

Zilpha

Delicious! Low effort for high pay-off. I used bok choy instead of cabbage because that was what I had on hand and it worked well. Based on reading the comments, I used 2 tbsp of honey and added some grated ginger and a splash of rice vinegar. Will definitely make again!

Jessica

We really enjoyed this recipe - made it pretty close to the recipe - but did add left over rotisserie chicken we had in the fridge. A nice addition of protein to the scrumptious meal. We did make a little extra sauce - to help flavor the chicken as well.

cheching

I only had half the amount of creminis, and used beech mushrooms for the other half by happy accident. The eating experience with beech mushrooms is so much better. They mimic the shape of the noodles, whereas the cremini slices end up mostly at the bottom of the bowl. I highly suggest using beech (aka shimeji/seafood) mushrooms if you can find them. They’re quite common in Asian supermarkets. I also omitted the kosher salt. For me, it was salty enough with just the soy sauce. And contrary to some comments here, I didn’t feel the need to reduce the honey. I thought the flavours were perfectly balanced. Will definitely make again.

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