Black Pepper Stir-Fried Udon
Chewy, saucy Black Pepper Stir-Fried Udon noodles are my first choice at my local Chinese takeout joint. These thick caramelized noodles have a gorgeous sauce made of dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar. Stir-fried frozen veggies are mixed in for a pop of color and maybe a touch of healthy eating!
Simple, satisfying and ready in only 15 minutes. Need I say more?
This is my favorite kind of recipe…one that uses premade products to help me get dinner on the table quickly. I never object to that. Let’s be real…by the end of the day, no one wants to be making noodles, cutting vegetables, etc. If I can buy awesome premade thick Udon noodles and frozen vegetables, why wouldn’t I?
I like using fresh Udon noodles and actually found them at my local grocery store in the refrigerated section where you find tofu. They also have shelf-stable ones that would be near the ramen and Asian products, but you could run the risk of them not being fresh. For freshest, I’d try Amazon. Finally, dried Udon noodles are also available but may have a flatter, less thick shape than fresh or shelf-stable noodles. They are also available on Amazon here.
Having said all of that, let’s begin…combine all of the sauce ingredients in a jar or mixing bowl.
Heat a non-stick skillet and add some oil to the pan. Add the noodles and 1/2 of the sauce. Stir them together and leave undisturbed for a minute or two to get them nicely caramelized.
Add the frozen vegetables and the remaining sauce, tossing for 2-3 minutes until the veggies are fork-tender and the noodles are browned and sticky. I love the caramelized bits so feel free to let them sit for a bit in between stirs.
Once off the heat and in some fresh garlic and lots of black pepper and serve!
Share Your Thoughts...
Black Pepper Stir-Fried Udon
Makes: 2-3 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce (see Chef’s Notes if using regular soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
Udon Stir Fry:
- a little bit of neutral oil
- 2 cups of stir-fry frozen vegetables, no need to thaw
- 2 (7-ounce) packages of udon noodles (the cooked, fat, squishy ones)
Finishing Touches:
- 1–2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Sauce:
Shake up all the sauce ingredients in a jar.
Noodles:
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil. Add the noodles and 1/2 of the sauce to coat. Stir them together and leave undisturbed for a minute or two to get them nicely caramelized.
Veggies:
Add the veggies and pour the remaining sauce over everything (it’s okay if you don’t use all of it -it’ll keep in the fridge for a second batch later). Toss it around for 2-3 minutes until the veggies are fork-tender and everything is looking browned and sticky and pan-fried to perfection.
Finish:
Remove from heat and stir in some freshly grated garlic and freshly ground black pepper.
Chef’s Notes:
If you can’t find dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce will still taste great (we tested and can confirm). However, dark soy sauce is more concentrated and really does make a difference for how much the flavor saturates into the noodles. We ended up finding some dark soy sauce at an Indian / Asian grocery store near us! But Amazon sells it, too.
Recipe by Pinch of Yum
Recipe Reviews