Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of ground chicken meat
• 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup of shitakii mushroom
• 1/2 cup of onion
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 scallion
• 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of mirin Japanese rice wine
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 18 oz frozen udon noodles
• 1 cup bok choy
• ¼ cup bonito flakes

Directions

Tips

• Seek out vacuum-packed udon noodles. These are typically pre-cooked and sealed in individual, portioned-out packets. You can find them in the refrigerated or frozen section of Asian grocery stores.
• You can use fresh, packaged or frozen udon noodles. Fresh udon noodles are uncooked. Frozen or packaged udon noodles are precooked. For this reason, it will be sufficient to dissolve them in boiling water for about a minute.
• You can use dried Udon noodles, but they take a little longer to cook, which may not be ideal for a quick stir-fry.
• You can use any type of protein like chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. You can also make vegetable yaki udon noodles.
• If you can't find dark soy sauce, you can replace it with regular soy sauce. In the end, the color of the dish will not be that dark, but it will still taste great.
• To make your own dark soy sauce, you can boil regular soy sauce with a pinch of sugar and some molasses. For this, wait for the ingredients to boil, and turn off the heat when the mixture thickens a little.
• Oyster sauce has a sweet, umami flavor similar to hoisin or teriyaki sauce. Replace the oyster sauce with raisins, teriyaki, or any sweet and savory brown stir-fry sauce.
• If you're looking for a vegan alternative, most supermarkets (especially Asian supermarkets) have vegan oyster sauce. If you prefer to use a traditional option, hoisin is naturally suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
• Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine that tends to impart a restaurant-quality flavor to dishes, but it can be difficult to find. You can use cooking wine, sake, or soju instead of mirin. For a non-alcoholic version, replace it with stock or water with a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar.