If you are looking for a nutritious, veggie filled meal that tastes incredible, this shrimp yaki udon is perfect for you. It’s super quick and easy to make, a great way to use up all that produce sitting in your fridge!
Ingredients for Shrimp Yaki Udon
Before preparing this recipe, make sure you have all the ingredients you need to make this dish the best it can be:
- Frozen udon noodles: you can get these at your local asian grocery store in the frozen aisle.
- Shrimp: I use frozen raw shrimp, which I defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Vegetables of choice: I recommend using cabbage, carrots, green onion and yellow onion.
- Salt and pepper: to taste, as needed.
- Cooking oil: use any neutral cooking oil you prefer, I like using canola oil.
- Dark soy sauce: if you can get it, I highly recommend dark soy sauce, but if not, regular soy sauce is fine.
- Oyster sauce: you can likely find this at your regular grocery store, but if not you can always find it at your local asian grocery store.
- Mirin: can use rice vinegar with a pinch of sugar if you don’t have mirin
- Brown sugar: can also use honey, maple syrup or white sugar, though the flavor of brown sugar is unmatched.
How to make Shrimp Yaki Udon
First, boil or defrost udon noodles according to package instructions. Then, cut up your vegetables. Cut your cabbage into square, bite sized pieces, shred your carrots or cut them into matchstick size pieces, cut your yellow onion into long thin strips and your green onions into one to two inch long pieces.
In a wok or large skillet over medium heat, add the cooking oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp and stir fry until pink. Remove and set aside. Add vegetables to the skillet. Stir fry until slightly wilted and fragrant. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, brown sugar and salt and pepper. Whisk together. Add shrimp and defrosted udon noodles along with sauce.
Toss the shrimp, vegetables and noodles together and stir fry until warmed through. Then transfer to a bowl and enjoy! You can top with more green onions and sesame seeds if you’d like.
What vegetables can you add to yaki udon?
I personally like adding green cabbage, carrots, green onions and yellow onion to my yaki udon. But, here are some other suggestions of vegetables that would fit into the dish perfectly:
- Red cabbage
- Eggplant
- Bok choy
- Broccoli or broccolini
- Celery
- Zucchini
- Green beans
- Mushrooms
- Bell pepper
What’s the difference between udon and soba noodles?
Udon noodles are made with wheat flour, water and salt and are thicker and chewier compared to soba noodles. On the other hand, soba noodles are made with wheat, buckwheat and water. They are thinner and darker in color compared to udon noodles.
Nutritionally, udon and soba noodles are different as well. One serving of udon noodles contains about 190 calories, 8 grams of protein, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber. One serving of soba noodles contains about 190 calories, 8 grams of protein, 43 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fat and about 7 grams of fiber.
Is udon gluten-free?
No, udon is made using wheat flour, which is not gluten-free. Luckily, rice noodles are very popular in asian countries so you can easily swap out the udon in this recipe for a thick rice noodle variety.
Is udon vegan?
Yes! Udon noodles are vegan, meaning they do not contain any animal products. That being said, be sure to check the ingredients in premade udon dishes since they could be cooked in animal fat or contain meat, egg or dairy products.
Is yaki udon good for you?
Yaki udon is pretty nutrient dense, but is rather high in sodium and carbohydrates. This dish is an excellent source of vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, manganese and potassium. It’s also a good source of fiber, B vitamins, folate, copper, magnesium and phosphorus. Not to mention, it’s a great way to get some veggies into your diet.
Is udon good for losing weight?
This is hard to say considering what matters for fat gain or loss is overall calories consumed throughout the day. That being said, yaki udon can absolutely be part of a weight loss as long as it’s consumed in moderation alongside a nutrient dense, balanced diet.
Where can you find udon noodles?
You can find udon noodles at your local asian grocery store. Typically these noodles can be found in the frozen section alongside the other frozen noodles. They come in a package with a few sections of noodles. You can defrost them in the refrigerator or let them defrost in the cooking process.
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Shrimp Yaki Udon
Ingredients
- 1 packet frozen udon noodles
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 2 cups stir fry vegetables cabbage, carrots, onion, etc.
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
The Sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Defrost or boil udon noodles according to the package.
- Cut up your vegetables. Cut the cabbage into square, bite sized pieces, shred your carrots or cut them into matchstick size pieces, cut your yellow onion into long thin strips and your green onions into one to two inch long pieces.
- In a wok or large skillet over medium heat, add the cooking oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp and cook until pink. Remove and set aside.
- Add vegetables.. Stir fry until slightly wilted and fragrant.
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, brown sugar and salt and pepper. Whisk together.
- Add shrimp and defrosted or frozen udon noodles to the wok or skillet along with sauce.
- Toss the shrimp, vegetables and noodles together and stir fry until warmed through. Then transfer to a bowl and enjoy!
