Name: Yaki Udon Recipe With Shrimp (King Prawn)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 Pack (425) g Udon Noodles (Ideally Fresh Noodles); 15 (100) g Shrimp (King Prawn); 2 Garlic Cloves; 1 Onion; Handful (50) g Beansprouts; 1 Carrot (Cut Into Matchsticks); 4 Mushrooms; 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce; 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine; 1 tbsp Brown Sugar; 1 tbsp Sesame Oil; 1 tsp Vinegar; 1 tsp Black Pepper; ½ tsp Salt

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How To Make Easy Yaki Udon Noodles With Shrimp (King Prawn)

Yaki udon is a quick, simple and easy stir-fry recipe ready to eat in just 20 minutes! The noodles are mixed with shrimp, vegetables and a delicious homemade sauce.

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5 from 1 vote

Thick udon noodles coated in a dark, rich and savoury sauce mixed with lots of shrimp and vegetables. If you’re a fan of noodle dishes, then you’re really going to love this! This dish is filled with so much flavour, colourful vegetables and the sauce… It’s so tasty and makes the noodles turn into a mouth-watering brown colour.

What Is Yaki Udon?

Yaki udon is a popular Japanese recipe, it’s a stir-fry dish where udon noodles are fried with vegetables, a rich sauce and your favourite choice of meat or seafood.

Though this noodle dish is very similar to king prawn chow mein, plain chow mein and chicken chow mein. Udon noodles are made from a mixture of wheat-flour and water. They’re thick and chewy in texture and I find these noodles to be a lot more filling than egg noodles.

This yaki udon recipe is made with shrimp (king prawn), this recipe is so versatile and you can add in your favourite vegetables or proteins.

In case you’re wondering, Yakisoba noodles are similar to udon noodles but are smaller, rounder and thinner in comparison.

Types Of Udon Noodles

There are different varieties of udon noodles available: you can get them dried, frozen and fresh noodles vacuum-packed.

I used fresh homemade noodles that were loose and not vacuum-packed together. They’re my favourite type of noodles to buy as there is no prep required and I can use them in this recipe without boiling it first.

If you are not using loose fresh noodles, then you’ll probably have to boil the noodles for few minutes in boiling water before you start according to packet instructions.

Watch How To Make This Yaki Udon Recipe With Shrimp

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the few ingredients needed to make this dish, you’ll only need a few basic ingredients. You can change the choice of vegetables and prawns to your liking.

Udon Noodles: I used fresh udon noodles from my local Chinese supermarket: you can buy frozen, dried or fresh noodles. If the type of udon noodles you buy are compact together or dried, make sure to cook them according to packet instructions first before you start making this dish.

Shrimp: I used king prawns to make this dish, you can also make this yaki udon recipe with beef, chicken, tofu and other types of proteins.

Vegetables: I made this dish with beansprouts, carrots, onions, mushrooms and garlic. I love making stir-fry noodles with these types of vegetables. Feel free to use your favourite veg or whatever you have at home.

What Is Yaki Udon Sauce Made Of?

Stir-fried yaki udon noodles are made with a rich savoury sauce, this sauce is made from a mixture of dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, brown sugar, Shaoxing cooking wine, black pepper and salt.

The exact ingredients and ratios used differ per recipe. For example, some recipes use mirin instead of Shaoxing cooking wine.

How To Make Yaki Udon Noodles With Shrimp

This yaki udon recipe with shrimp is so easy to make, below is a step-by-step guide on how to make it. Full instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom.

Step One:

I like to start this dish by making the sauce first and then I’ll leave it aside for later use.

To make the sauce add 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and dark soy sauce into a small mixing bowl. Followed by 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, Shaoxing cooking wine and sesame oil. Then add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and black pepper followed by half a teaspoon of salt. Mix the ingredients together until evenly distributed.

Step Two:

Add a tablespoon of oil to a wok heated on a high heat, add chopped garlic to the wok and fry for 1 minute. Then add the onions, beansprouts, mushrooms and carrots to the wok and stir for an extra 2 to 3 minutes, then take the veg out and leave aside for later use.

Step Three:

Add a tablespoon of oil into a clean wok, add the shrimp (prawns) and a tablespoon of dark soy sauce and stir for a few minutes until they are no longer grey.

Step Four:

Adding yaki udon noodles to the wok with the sauce

Add the udon noodles to the same wok with the shrimp and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until evenly distributed. Then add the sauce you made earlier and mix the noodles into the sauce using tongs.

Step Five:

Add the fried vegetables, stir until evenly distributed and enjoy! You can garnish this dish with spring onions and chilli flakes but this optional.

My Top Tips

It’s so easy making this stir-fry with a wok: the food cooks quickly, you only need to use little amounts of oil and it catches a lot of splatter! I’m always using mine and I find it to be my go-to when making a lot of stir-fry dishes.

If you’re using dried or frozen udon noodles (after boiling it) drizzle a bit of oil on top of the noodles and mix. This prevents the noodles from sticking and clumping together.

Prep the veg and sauce in advance or at least before you start! Make this stir-fry quick by doing the boring tasks first. It will prevent you from stopping at each step to get your ingredients ready.

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