All recipe posts are written by our co-founder Jennifer J. Yoo unless otherwise noted.
I made yaki udon at least once a week all through college. It was something that reminded me of flavors I grew up with, without having to eat out with my student budget. And yaki udon, or stir-fried noodle in general, is still something I make quite often. This recipe has a simple base of Kisoondo's ganjang soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Kisoondo's ganjang, aged 1-4 years, has an amazing balance, subtle for its kind, making it a great choice for this stirfry.
And as a big fan of cabbage, mushrooms and onions that is what I tend to gravitate to but you can easily customize it by chopping up your favorite veggies, or essentially clean out the fridge by using up left over veggies that may be hanging out. But whatever you decide on, I suggest taking the time to heat up the oil and first cook the scallions, ginger and garlic, the aromatics, which will give you a flavor-packed infused oil in return.
And as a big fan of cabbage, mushrooms and onions that is what I tend to gravitate to but you can easily customize it by chopping up your favorite veggies, or essentially clean out the fridge by using up left over veggies that may be hanging out. But whatever you decide on, I suggest taking the time to heat up the oil and first cook the scallions, ginger and garlic, the aromatics, which will give you a flavor-packed infused oil in return.
TIME 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 packages of frozen udon noodles*
- 1 pound chicken thigh meat, bite size
- 1 medium sized onion, thin slices
- 2 scallions, chopped into 1/4" thickness
- 1 teaspoon ginger, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 120g or about 4oz, beech mushrooms**
- 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons ganjang/soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons infrared-roasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Canola, avocado or grape seed oil***
- Infrared-roasted sesame oil, to be drizzled at the end
- Shichimi togarashi, to be sprinkled at the end (optional)****
** You can substitute with your favorite mushroom if you can't find beech mushrooms
*** Look for oil that can stand to high heat.
**** Japanese chili pepper powder with other spices. You can find shichimi at most super markets or definitely as Asian markets.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add canola or other oil into a wok and when properly heated, add scallion, minced garlic and ginger. Stir as it cooks and flavors the oil. Add cabbage, mushrooms and onions in. You want to cook the vegetables first so that you can give it time to release its water.
- After about 3 minutes, add chicken and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Add the frozen udon noodles, along with the stock, soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, until chicken and noodles are cooked thoroughly.
- Take it off the heat, mix sesame oil and seeds in. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi prior to serving. You can also serve it alongside kimchi or top it with a fried egg!
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