A delicious yaki udon recipe with thick & chewy udon noodles, stir-fried with meat and veggies and tossed in a sweet and savory curry sauce. A great recipe to use with leftovers!
Noodles are one of my ultimate favourite foods. There's always something so comforting and satisfying about eating them so it's no surprise when I have to make it at least once a week.
I find myself making udon noodles more frequently than any other noodles because they are easy and quick to make and it's a great way to clean out my fridge of old produce or leftover meats.
Normally, I would go the simple route and make the traditional yaki udon with soy sauce but today I had a random craving for curried Singapore rice noodles so I just transferred that craving to my udon noodles.
The end result did not disappoint 🙂 I had the flavours of curry, lightly sweetened with maple syrup with the slippery and chewy texture of udon noodles topped with an fried egg all in one easy to eat bowl on the couch with my sleepy pups and my tv shows. 🙂
INGREDIENTS
Most ingredients in this recipe should be available at your local grocery store.
Mirin and frozen sanuki udon noodles might be a bit trickier to find, but should be available at an Asian grocery store.
There are a few types of udon noodles in the market - frozen, vacuum packed and dried. I highly recommend using the frozen ones since they have a chewier texture and generally taste better.
I like to use leftover meats whenever I make a stir fried udon but this can also be completely meatless as well. Sometimes I'll even throw in some deep fried tofu balls if I need a protein kick if I'm not using meat.
The vegetables are also very interchangeable in this recipe. You can use almost anything out there as long as it's not watery (like tomatoes). I used cabbage because it's easy to brown up when sliced thinly and it gives this dish a nutty flavour.
The dark soy is used to give the noodles a bit of colour so if you don't have this you can omit it.
Whenever I cook, I always prefer to use maple or honey to sweeten my dishes - mostly because they are already in liquid form and very easy to incorporate into the dishes. I find when I use sugar, I need to take the extra steps to melt the sugars else I'll get granules of it in the food.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
This recipe is a simple one and can be whipped up quickly.
Preparation
- Soak the frozen block of sanuki udon in a bowl of hot water for 1 minute (or until the noodles strands defrost and become pliable. Once it is pliable, drain the water out and set it aside
- Chop up your vegetables and leftover meats and side aside. The thinner you slice them the quicker they will cook.
- Combine the maple, curry powder, both soys, and the mirin together in a small bowl and set aside.
- If you are using green onions as a topping, finely mince the green onions and set aside
Stir Frying Everything Together
- In a frying pan, set the heat to medium heat and add a bit of oil to it. Wait for it to get hot, watch for the oil to shimmer.
- Add in the leftover meats (if using), and cook it for about 2 minutes
- Add in the vegetables and cook it until it is soft and slightly browned (approximately 6 minutes)
- Add in the udon noodles and sauce and mix it together
- Top it with green onions and sesame seeds (optional)
- Enjoy! 🙂
Note: Don't like curry? Omit it! 🙂 Then you'll have the traditional stir fried yaki udon recipe!
Whenever I have a sauce noodle or rice dish, I love adding a fried egg on top. This is completely optional but a great way enjoy it as well.
Do you have a neat way of making noodles or enjoy them? Let me know! I am always open to more noodle ideas. 🙂 and follow me on Instagram show me all your yummy noodles with #pupswithchopstick 🙂
Hurray for chewy noodles with an egg on top! 🙂
Recipe Card
Maple Curry Yaki Udon
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- The curry powder I use for this recipe is Madras curry powder which is very similar to regular curry powder but it's spicier. This recipe can be made with regular curry powder as well.
- For the best udon noodle texture (chewy with a bit of springiness), buy the frozen udon noodle that comes in blocks in the freezer section.
- Don’t like curry? Omit it! Then you’ll have the traditional stir-fried yaki udon recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 brick sanuki udon (frozen)
- 1 ½ cups leftover meat (optional)
- 1 carrot (cut into slivers, matchsticks)
- 1 ½ cups cabbage (cut thinly)
- 1 small onion (sliced thinly)
Maple Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon mirin
Toppings (Optional)
- 1 stalk of green onion (finely chopped)
- toasted sesame seeds
- 2 eggs (pan-fried)
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak the frozen block of sanuki udon in a bowl of hot water for 1 minute (or until the noodles strands defrost and become pliable. Once it is pliable, drain the water and set it aside
- Chop up your vegetables and leftover meats and side aside. The thinner you slice them the quicker they will cook.
- Combine the maple, curry powder, both soys, and the mirin together in a small bowl and set aside.
- If you are using green onions as a topping, finely mince the green onions and set aside
Stir Frying Everything Together
- In a frying pan, set the heat to medium heat and add a bit of oil to it. Wait for it to get hot, watch for the oil to shimmer.
- Add in the leftover meats (if using), and cook it for about 2 minutes
- Add in the vegetables and cook it until it is soft and slightly browned (approximately 6 minutes)
- Add in the udon noodles and sauce and mix it together
- Top it with green onions and sesame seeds or a fried egg (optional)
- Enjoy! 🙂
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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Jenn says
This sauce sounds so flavorful and delicious! And those noodles!! Can't wait to try!
Joyce says
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Josie says
Hey! A quicker way to make this Maple Curry Yaki Udon for lunch or dinner. Kids love this because of a different flavour of taste. Thank you.
Joyce says
Thank you! Definitely a quick and easy meal. 🙂
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
We're lucky to have a couple of really good Asian grocery stores nearby, so I'm thinking I'd be able to find everything for this! It looks delicious!
Joyce says
You can totally make this a meatless dish too, I like to add the pre-packaged fried tofu balls and mushrooms.
Julia @ Happy Foods Tube says
Love the name of this dish! It sounds delicious!
Joyce says
Thank you Julia 🙂
Agata says
It sounds truly delicious! I love noodles yet I've never prepared them at home 🙁 Time to change it, I think.
Joyce says
With the frozen sanuki udon noodles you'd be surprised how quick and easy it is to get a meal done too! Definitely give it a try. 🙂
Igor @ Cooking The Globe says
Oh man, this looks so good. I can imagine how delicious the maple curry sauce is!
Joyce says
I think that's my favourite part too! 🙂
Jagruti says
Maple curry yaki noodles packed with flavours, looks tempting!
Joyce says
It is! 🙂