Equipment
Ingredients
Sauce
- 45 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml oyster sauce
- 30 ml mirin
- 15 ml rice vinegar
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 30 ml water
Noodles and Meat
- 400 g frozen udon noodles
- 300 g ground pork
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 250 g baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise and thoroughly washed
- 100 g cremini mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick
- 100 g white button mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick
- 3 garlic, minced
- 10 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 scallions, cut into 3cm batons, white and green parts separated
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 10 ml toasted sesame oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 466 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 43 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Zinc
- 2.0 mg
- Water
- 101 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, granulated sugar, and water in a small mixing bowl, then whisk thoroughly until the sugar granules are completely dissolved.
Fill a large pot with 2 liters of water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat at 100°C (212°F).
Add the frozen udon noodles to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute, nudging gently with tongs until the noodle blocks unravel.
Pour the noodles into a colander, rinse briefly under cold tap water to arrest the cooking process, and shake the colander vigorously to remove excess water.
Set the wok over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil, and heat until shimmering and faintly smoking, reaching approximately 190°C (375°F).
Add the ground pork to the wok, flatten it against the hot surface with a wooden spatula, sear undisturbed for 2 minutes, and then break it apart and stir-fry until thoroughly browned and an instant-read food thermometer inserted into the meat reads at least 71°C (160°F). Wash hands, knife, and cutting board with warm soapy water immediately after handling raw pork.
Add the sliced cremini and white button mushrooms to the wok with the pork, stirring frequently over medium-high heat for 3 minutes until softened and lightly browned.
Push the pork and mushrooms to the outer edges of the wok, add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and scallion whites directly to the cleared center, and stir-fry for 30 seconds until intensely aromatic.
Add the quartered baby bok choy to the wok and toss with the pork and vegetables for 2 minutes until the stems are tender-crisp and the green leaves just begin to wilt.
Transfer the drained udon noodles into the wok and pour the prepared sauce evenly over the noodles and vegetables.
Toss and lift the mixture continuously with tongs over high heat for 2 minutes until the sauce reduces, thickens, and evenly coats every noodle strand in a dark, glossy glaze.
Remove the wok from the heat source, drizzle the toasted sesame oil across the noodles, scatter the scallion greens over top, toss once to combine, and divide immediately onto four warm plates.
Chef's Notes
- Frozen sanuki udon noodles provide far superior chewiness and bounce compared to vacuum-sealed ambient udon, which tends to break easily.
- Complete all knife work and sauce whisking prior to heating the wok, as the stir-fry process moves quickly and requires your undivided attention.
- Pairing cremini and white button mushrooms creates subtle contrast in earthy depth and allows the mushrooms to drink in the savory pork drippings.
- Leaving the ground pork undisturbed for the initial two minutes fosters deep Maillard caramelization, providing the foundational umami for the sauce to deglaze.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Cool and refrigerate within two hours of cooking.
Reheating: Reheat in a wok or skillet over medium heat with 15 ml of water, tossing constantly until steaming hot throughout and confirming an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F) with an instant-read thermometer.
Troubleshooting
Udon noodles become soft, mushy, and break into short fragments
Cause: Noodles were boiled too long during the parboiling phase or agitated too vigorously during the stir-fry step
Fix: Cannot be fixed once broken; stop cooking immediately and serve gently to preserve remaining texture
Prevention: Boil frozen udon for no more than 60 seconds just to loosen the strands, rinse with cool water, and use tongs to lift and toss gently
Sauce tastes bitter or leaves burnt spots on the bottom of the wok
Cause: The wok was too dry or too hot when the sugar-containing sauce was introduced
Fix: Immediately splash in 30 ml of hot water to dissolve scorched residues and transfer food away from burnt spots; if acrid, it cannot be salvaged
Prevention: Ensure noodles and sauce enter the wok together, and keep the ingredients moving constantly across the heat
Stir-fry is watery and the sauce will not cling to the noodles
Cause: Noodles retained excess rinsing water, or washed bok choy was not dried before cooking
Fix: Increase burner heat to maximum and toss rapidly for 1 to 2 minutes to boil off pooled liquid without overcooking produce
Prevention: Thoroughly drain and shake noodles in the colander and spin or pat dry wet bok choy leaves before cooking
Cultural Context
Yaki udon originated in the city of Kokura, located in Fukuoka Prefecture, during the post-World War II food rationing period. When yakisoba chef Benjiro Sakamoto ran out of classic Chinese-style buckwheat and wheat soba noodles, he substituted thick, chewy udon noodles on his teppan griddle, creating an enduring comfort food classic enjoyed across Japan.
