It may have a strange name, but Yaki Udon tastes great. I made this for dinner the other night and we - kids and all - scarfed it up. Yaki means grilled or pan-fried in Japanese and Udon refers to the thick noodle used. It's quick, easy and delicious, if I do say so... I tried to replicate one of our family's favorite dishes at the restaurant, Yamamori, here in Dublin - and we were all happy with the results.
A great meal for fitting in lots of veg (don't be afraid to substitute what you have/like), you can add some chicken/shrimp or keep it vegetarian. You can certainly make variations in this recipe - my one bit of advice, though, would be to find an asian market. The variety of noodles/sauces/spices is huge and price difference is definitely worth the trip.
YAKI UDON, serves 5
light or low-sodium soy sauce, 2 1/2 tablespoons
mirin, 2 1/2 tablespoons
garlic, 2 cloves minced
ginger, 1 tablespoon grated
curry powder, medium, 1 1/2 teaspoons
4 breasts of chicken diced thinly
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2-3 twists of black pepper
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 large or 2 small carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 1/2 cups cabbage, sliced thinly
1/2 courgette, diced
1 red pepper, diced
5-6 mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground nut oil
Pickled ginger, 1 teaspoon/serving if desired
Udon noodles, 600 grams (see package instructions for cooking)
In a small bowl whisk to combine soy sauce, mirin sauce, garlic, ginger and curry powder and set aside.
Dice chicken and place in medium bowl. Peel & slice onion and add to bowl.
Season with pepper and toss in rice wine vinegar. Set aside.
Add the carrots; cook for another minute to two. Add the cabbage and courgette; cook for another minute or two.
At this point, I would add 1/4 cup of water to the mixture to help steam and cook the vegetables without adding extra oil.
Add the pepper and mushrooms; continue to cook until vegetables have softened sufficiently. By now the chicken should be thoroughly cooked as well.
Now, toss the noodles in, stirring, and then pour sauce over. Stir to combine well.
Serve! Add a small (teaspoon) of red ginger to each serving - it might be a bit strong tasting for some younger family members.