Last night my husband and I watched Hulu’s new series ‘Eater’s Guide to the World’ and it was soo good! If you haven’t watched, you need to! The new series showcases a bunch of foodie cities from all around the world with themes and topics that resonate with each city. The first episode was all about eating alone in the Pacific Northwest. And guess what was on the show? Noodles! The universe always gives you little messages and this was mine. The message? Less talk, more noodles! I had an idea to remake Yaki Udon Noodles recently and wasn’t sure If I could (or should) do it. Then I did, and wasn’t sure if I should share it on the blog (self sabotage is the devil). Leave it up to the universe (and God) to get you together. God spoke and said ‘share the noodles sis’ lol.

These noodles were inspired by a recent visit to HMart, one of my favorite markets. Ugh HMart is just so ridiculously good and their options are never ending. Upon exploring the noodle aisle (yes, they have a whole aisle filled with noodle varieties- amazing right?) I spotted a package of frozen Udon noodles that I had to have. I knew they would be great for my next experiment- Yaki Stir Fried Udon Noodles! I added some Chinese eggplant, Sambal (chili sauce or paste typically made from a mixture of a variety of chili peppers with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice), and a few other things to my cart and hurried home to get started.

What are Yaki udon noodles? It’s a typical Japanese stir fried noodle with veggies, protein, and a savory soy based sauce. I left out the protein and instead used my eggplant, julienned carrots, and dried chili peppers to make this recipe but feel free to add in ground pork, cut up chicken breasts, or other proteins here if you’d like.

Before I share the magic, let’s layout all of the important facts. I used Frozen Udon Noodles. Frozen Udon noodles when cooked give you that chewy authentic texture that you typically get at your favorite asian eatery! If you an asian market isn’t easily accessible to you, feel free to use whatever you have at home. Boxed pasta works great here as well. Although, I would stick to linguine, spaghetti, or a noodle like pasta type.

Here’s a short guide on how to cook the Udon noodles:

You want to drop your frozen udon noodles in rapidly boiling water.
It’s ok if the water stops boiling once the noodles are added. This is normal . The frozen noodles will shock the water and will bring the temperature down. This will also prevent the noodles from overcooking
Udon noodle texture should be chewy yet soft. Stir the noodles until the noodles are separated and flexible
Do not overcook your noodles. You do not want to cook them for more than 3-4 minutes (or according to package instructions). Set a timer, if needed
As soon as the noodles separate and become pliable, take them out of the hot water and then rinse them under cold water
If you don’t plan on using the noodles right away. Add a bit of oil to the noodles and combine to prevent them from sticking and clumping

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get cooking!

Ingredients:

1 long Chinese eggplant, cut into long 2 inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, mashed or finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, mashed or finely chopped
1 tablespoon of Sambal (optional)
1 carrot, julienned
2 dried red chili peppers
3 stalks of scallions (green onions), white and greens separated
2 packets of frozen Udon noodles
2 tablespoons of oil, for cooking
2 cups of water, for soaking
More water, for boiling noodles
Sesame seeds, for garnish

For the Savory Soy Sauce:

2½ tablespoons low sodium Soy sauce

2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of Sesame oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of chili oil (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, add your eggplant pieces and water and set aside. The eggplants should soak in water for at least 10 minutes. This will help them brown in the pan and will keep them from turning brown as you prep other ingredients.

Next, grab a small bowl and combine all of the ingredients for your sauce and set aside as well.

Then, drain the eggplant and transfer to a paper towel. Pat all of your eggplant pieces to soak up any moisture.

Simultaneously, you’ll want to start the process of boiling your water for your noodles. Add water to a pot and heat until boiling.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a wok or large pan and heat under medium to high heat. Next, add your eggplant and toss until your eggplant has a nice brown and golden color. Once browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.

It’s time to add your noodles to your boiling water!

Now, its time to stir things up! Add another tablespoon of oil to your pan. Then, add your garlic, ginger, Sambal, dried red chili peppers, and the white parts of your green onion. Sauté to combine until the fragrant. Next, add your carrots and browned eggplants. Toss to sauté and combine with the other ingredients in your pan.

Now we bring it all together! Add in your cooked noodles and your savory soy sauce. Toss the noodles and the other ingredients in the bowl until combined making sure that all of your noodles are coated in the sauce and veggies in your pan. Once coated and ready! Top the noodles with sesame seeds and the green parts of your scallions! Enjoy!

Notes:

Don’t have Udon noodles? Feel free to use what ever you have in your pantry to make similar stir fried noodles. Boxed pasta is also great in this! Spaghetti, linguine, and fettuccini preferred
I used eggplant and carrots here but you can throw in any of your favorite veggies here! Onions, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, string beans, snow peas, etc.
You can also use protein here as well to make this a more heartier dish. Tofu, Shrimp, Chicken, Ground Meat, beef, and pork all work in this recipe