Broccoli & Udon Stir-Fry

A simple stir fry sauce for udon noodles. Add your preferred vegetables and protein. This dish is a little high in sodium, so have a small portion, or watch your sodium the rest of the day.  This is a basic stir-fry recipe that you can use with other types of noodles or rice and with other vegetables like carrots or mushrooms. Don’t be afraid to use whatever you have on hand. Double the recipe for a larger serving.

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Broccoli & Udon Stir-Fry

Asian-inspired stir-fry that makes a quick and hearty supper. Without meat, it’s also a good option for a side dish. There’s lots of room to experiment here with more or less garlic or ginger, different vegetables, a little leftover chicken, or tofu or edamame for a vegetarian meal.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Lunch, Side Dish, Supper

Keyword: Broccoli, Lunch, Noodles, Side Dish, Udon

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Large, deep frying pan or wok with lid

Ingredients

• 2 200-g packages udon noodles
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced See Notes, below.
• 1 large clove garlic, minced, or 1 tsp jarred minced garlic
• 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped, or other preferred vegetables See Notes, below.
• 1 chicken or other protein (about 225 g), cut into bite-sized pieces Optional. See notes, below.
• 1/4 cup store-bought Teryaki stir-fry sauce, or more, to taste See Notes, below.

Instructions

• Fill a large saucepan about 2/3 full of water. Let the water come to a boil, then add the noodles. Boil the noodles for 2-3 minutes, breaking up into smaller pieces if desired. Drain and let sit in colander while you continue the recipe.
• Prepare vegetables and protein, if using. Set aside.
• Drizzle a small amount of olive or canola oil into a large, deep frying pan or a wok. (You’ll need a lid.) Heat over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. 
• If you are including a protein--chicken or other meat--that is uncooked, stir-fry it in the oil for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate and cover with a lid to keep warm. (If you are using pre-cooked meat, add it when you add the noodles, below.)
• Reduce heat to medium and add a bit more oil to the pan. Add broccoli and stir to coat. Stir-fry for about 1 minute.
• Clear a space in the centre of the pan and add about 1/2 tsp of oil. Add ginger and garlic to the cleared space and cook for about 30 seconds, then stir into broccoli. Add a tablespoon or so of sauce for moisture, then cover the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, checking to ensure the broccoli is not drying out.
• Add drained noodles and meat--if using--to pan. Toss with the remaining sauce until covered. Add more sauce as needed. The noodles should turn light brown from absorbing the sauce.
• Cover the frying pan and cook until everything is heated through and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes.
• Serve plain or garnish with green onions, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or anything you prefer. 

Notes

• We like a lot of ginger so I have gone easy on it here. If you like a strong ginger taste, add more. We generally go with about 4 tsp (i.e. 1 tbsp plus a tsp). 
• One cup is the minimum of vegetables. If you add more, you may want to add a bit more sauce to cover everything.
• If you use vegetables that take a long time to cook, like carrots, slice them thinly. You can use any mix of vegetables, for example: small broccoli florets, mushrooms, or diced red pepper.
• Cooking time includes time to cook meat. You can also use leftover cooked chicken or other meat, diced. Tofu would work as well but marinate the tofu first in a bit of the sauce. Edamame is another good option for a vegetarian protein. If your protein is already cooked, just add it near the end of the cooking time to heat through. 
• I used to make my own sauce for this recipe, but I found it was too much to deal with on a busy weeknight. A friend recommended a really good bottled sauce, so we use that. (It's San-J teryaki sauce, which is available in most grocery stores, sometimes in the health food section.) You can use whatever sauce you prefer. 

About Udon

• Udon noodles are thick, chewy, starchy noodles with a bland flavour. Their texture and lack of strong taste makes them perfect for umami sauces like teryaki. My son used to call them worms when he was younger, so that gives some idea of the size and texture.
• We buy our udon noodles–President’s Choice makes a good version–but you can also make your own. This page from MasterClass talks about the history of these versatile noodles and provides a recipe. Note that I haven’t tried it so I can’t guarantee whether this recipe is a good one.

Noodle image by Santi Salvianti | Dreamstime