Veggie Yaki Udon is a vegetarian version of Japanese classic dish Yaki udon . ‘Yaki’ means ‘fry or grill’ and ‘Udon’ are a type of thick , chewy noodles made with wheat flour. It is a simple and flavorful one pan meal loaded with vegetables, mushrooms and your choice of protein, coated in a very delicious savory and umami sauce! You can use any vegetable or any protein you like as these noodles are easily customizable. This recipe is super simple to make and takes 20 minutes only !
Yaki soba is different from Yaki udon as different type of noodles are used. In yaki soba thin soba noodles are used.
Things you need :
- Udon Noodles:
3 types of udon noodles are available in market-
- Vacuum packed fresh udon: Precooked and ready to use. Available in noodle section of supermarket. They can be added straight to the wok when cooking . I used these ones in the recipe.They can be clumped together so its best to separate them with hand gently before adding to the wok
- Frozen udon: They need a minute or so of cooking before adding to the wok.
- Dry Udon: They need to cooked for 4-5 minutes before adding to the wok.
- Veggies: You can use any veggies you like or skip any you don’t like. Traditionally shiitake mushrooms are used but any mushrooms are fine. You can use also use pak choi or broccoli .
- Ginger and garlic: they impart a wonderful flavor
- Green onions and coriander: for garnishing and adding flavor.
- Tofu: only use firm tofu or you can use your choice or protein.
- Stir fry sauce : The sauce is made with a combination of light and dark soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, black pepper and nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is dried inactive yeast which is adds some umami to the dish. You can skip it if you can’t find it.
Veggie Yaki Udon
Yaki Udon is an easy Japanese stir fried noodle recipe full of veggies , that is super easy to make and ready in 30 minutes .
Ingredients
- 2 packs Udon noodles vacuum packed, about 150 gms each
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped finely
- 1 inch ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and julienned
- 10-12 mushrooms sliced
- 1 green or red pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 small cabbage head shredded
- 250 gms firm tofu cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tbsp neutral oil like vegetable oil or olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 3-4 green onions green part and white part chopped separately
- 2-3 tbsp fresh coriander chopped finely
- Toasted sesame seeds for serving (optional)
For stir fry sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (or regular if you aren't vegetarian)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce ( or use 2 tbsp dark soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (completely optional)
- 1 tsp sriracha (optional if like it a bit spicy )
Instructions
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and keep it aside to infuse while you prepare rest of the meal. Nutritional yeast is added to give it a umami flavor.
- Cook noodles according to the package instructions. If using pre cooked ones , they can be added straight to the wok.
- Next, if you are using tofu , heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or large pan and fry on medium heat until crispy and golden on both sides. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take the tofu out in a bowl and keep aside.
- In the same wok, add 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat .
- Add onions and white part of spring onions and fry until soft. Add chopped ginger and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add sliced peppers, carrots , cabbage and mushrooms and continue to cook on medium to high heat for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are cooked but firm to the bite. Add pan fried tofu and mix everything nicely. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the noodles. Handle the noodles gently as they are precooked and may break. Next, add the sauce and mix everything gently.
- Toss to combine and heat through for 2-3 minutes until udon noodles has absorbed the sauce. Season with more soy sauce or salt if required.
- Add chopped green onion and chopped fresh coriander
- Serve garnished with green onion, chopped coriander and toasted sesame seeds .