Yaki Udon

By Naz Deravian

Published December 6, 2023

  • A wok full of yaki udon with bok choy, carrots, scallions and noodles tossed in a soy-based sauce.
    Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(2,931)
Comments
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Pleasantly chewy udon noodles are tossed with a mix of vegetables and meat, then coated in a salty-sweet combination of soy and oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and sugar in this version of yaki udon, the Japanese stir-fry dish. Using precooked frozen udon noodles, available at Asian markets in vacuum-sealed bags, ensures that they don’t overcook and fall apart. Keep them on hand for a fast meal: Just give them a quick bath in boiling water before stir-frying alongside just about any meat and vegetables. While using dark soy sauce (see Tip) and oyster sauce is not traditional, this variation combines them for a thicker and slightly sweeter sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings 

  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 

  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 1 tablespoon mirin

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  • 1 pound frozen udon noodles 

  • Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling 

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • ½ pound ground pork, or beef, chicken or turkey 

  • 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

  • 4 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed or peeled, cut into thin 3-inch-long sticks

  • 1 medium bok choy, sliced into ½-inch pieces

  • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped 

  • 3 scallions, sliced into 2-inch pieces, plus more for serving

  • Crushed red pepper, to taste  

  • Sesame seeds, furikake or chile oil, for serving (optional) 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium bowl, combine the dark soy sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and sugar. Taste a little and balance salty, acidic and sweet flavors, if needed.

  2. Step 2

    Bring a medium pot of water to boil over medium-high. Add the frozen noodles and cook, gently nudging them apart, until they separate and are pleasantly chewy, about 2 minutes. Drain, quickly rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, transfer to a medium bowl and drizzle with a little sesame oil (about 1 teaspoon) so they don’t stick to each other.

  3. Step 3

    In a wok or a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a small bowl.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil into the wok. Add the onion and mushrooms, and stir-fry, tossing frequently, until fragrant and the vegetables take on a little color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrot, bok choy and garlic; constantly stir until the vegetables cook but still have a crunch, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions and cooked pork; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the noodles and sauce, tossing until the noodles are coated and glossy. Taste and adjust any seasonings, if needed.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer yaki udon to bowls, and top each serving with chopped scallion and crushed red pepper, to taste. Serve with sesame seeds, furikake and chile oil, if you like.

Tip

  • Dark soy sauce can be found at Asian markets, online and some grocery stores. If you can’t find it, you can use regular soy sauce and adjust sugar amounts, but the sauce won’t be as thick and glossy.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,931 user ratings
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Comments

selah

as a japanese person who’s comfort food is yaki udon, this recipe is way too much. Just looking at it, it’s going to be too salty. All my family did was use the soy soup base, the same you would use to make udon soup or somen base soup. that’s all you need. and it is the best.

Jeff

I didn't have frozen udon on hand so made it without as a stir fry and ate it over rice.. lol it was GOOD! I'm Japanese and I also think as written it's too salty. I would use a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce and mirin plus whatever amount of oyster/hoisin sauce you desire.

Dee

Really loved it as directed - using trader joe's vacuum packed udon noodles, which didn't need to be precooked. Don't have Asian grocery nearby. Next time I'd add pepper flakes early and maybe peanuts. I'd leave out the sugar. Too sweet.

Marina

I used half the soy sauce and the saltiness is acceptable. Can go down to a quarter… I used ready made Udon that just need to be heated up. Delicious!

Rich O

Recently visited Japan and returned determined to add something Japanese to the dinner options. I found everything except the dark soy sauce, and I used dried udon noodles instead of frozen ones. We’d never used bok choy. I used ground beef. I was flying fairly blind, but the result was really quite good. I think my translation of the quantity to dried udon noodles to equal a pound of frozen ones was off, and I was noodle heavy. I’ll definitely try again. We’re adding this to the repertoire!

ThatGirlAnna

Delicious! The ground chicken was kind of plain so next time I will make it without meat.

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