Vegan Yaki Udon is soy sauce flavored Japanese stir-fried udon noodles made with veggies and topped with unique Japanese condiments, beni shoga and aonori. This vegan arrangement of yaki udon is very forgiving and easy to make.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 2
Author: Plant-Based Matters
Ingredients
Yaki Udon
2servings frozen thick udon noodles1 serving = about 9 oz / 260 g
2tspneutral oil
1clovegarlicminced
4ozyellow onionthinly sliced (4 oz = about 1cup)
2ozcarrotjulienned (2 oz = about 1/2 cup)
3shiitake mushroomstrim off the end and thinly sliced
4ozgreen cabbageroughly chopped (4 oz = about 1 cup)
2ozgreen bell pepperthinly sliced (2 oz = about 1/2 cup)
Boil water in a medium or large pot for cooking udon noodles. Once boiling, start cooking frozen udon noodles for 1-2 minute (or follow the instructions on package.) Use a colander to drain. Rinse under running water to remove starch. Shake off the excess water and set it aside.
Heat up a non-stick frying pan at medium high heat. Pour neutral oil and add garlic. Cook for a minute or so until aromatic.
Add yellow onion and carrot. Cook for 2 minutes. Next, add shiitake and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add cabbage, green bell pepper, dulse flakes, and season with sea salt and white pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once the veggies are cooked, add mirin and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the alcohol is cooked off.
Transfer the cooked udon noodles to the pan. Tips: If the udon is too sticky (from the starch) at this point, rinse again under running water and shake off the excess water, then add to the pan.) Add soy sauce and continue to stir until udon noodles are reheated. Lastly, add scallions and give a quick stir.
To serve, sprinkle aonori and beni-shoga on top. Use shichimi pepper (optional) for a spicy kick.
Notes
Choice of Udon Noodles
For this recipe, it’s best to use frozen thick udon (often labeled as sanuki-style udon) which gives the chewy bite.
Frozen udon noodles are pre-portioned and pre-cooked. It takes less than 2 minutes to be ready. It’s a convenient food item to keep in freezer!
Dulse Flakes
Dulse flakes are dried kelp which adds umami taste and depth to the kimchi.
Mirin
Mirin is Japanese sweet cooking rice wine which adds the natural sweetness and depth to the flavor. Use high quality mirin with no high fructose corn syrup.
Beni shoga is Japanese red pickled ginger that’s briny & tangy.
Beni shoga is quite salty by itself so be sure not to put too much salt when adjusting the seasoning with salt.
Using extra beni shoga as a garnish adds a nice & fresh accent to the flavor.
Be sure to check out more information on Beni Shoga on Vegan Japanese Pantry Guide.
Aonori
Aonori is Japanese dried green seaweed flakes that has more intense sea flavor and more fragrant compared to nori seaweed.
Using nori seaweed will not have the same flavor.
A little bit goes a long way. Adjust the amount to your taste preference.
Be sure to check out more information on Aonori on Vegan Japanese Pantry Guide.
* This recipe was originally published as " Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)." It's been modified, improved, and republished as "Vegan Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles.)"