Yaki-udon ( Fried udon noodles )


With all the books that I've carted from the library lately , I  ask myself  ( Yeah , I'm fond of talking to myself , good thing that I'm only doing it at home heh ! ) what's the purpose of it all if you won't try even one simple dish ?

Some of those books were a tad heavy and sometimes my right shoulder has been complaining incessantly . Still , I just can't resist to carry one , okay , three every time I go to the library .

I even asked my friend last time to borrow 2 more since I used up my 8 book limit ugh !

I borrowed one Japanese cookbook two months ago and been meaning to try at least one dish from it . The book has several simple and easy dishes and since I love stir fried noodles ......

I'm not really impressed with it though .

It's the color of the noodles , I think .


I love to add dark soy sauce to most of my stir fried noodles , so this yaki-udon doesn't look impressive to my eyes .

Let's be honest , it tastes so-so ! 


I should have tweaked the recipe . 

It certainly needs a good lashing of homemade chili sauce .

To each their own taste .

I'm used to adding some seasoning I have on hand every time I cook my version of stir fried udon . Beside light and dark soy sauce , I usually add chili sauce , fish sauce , even brown sugar .

I was really tempted to add dark soy to this dish ! Well , I did after I've taken several photos of my pale udon lol

Don't get me wrong , I love every Japanese dishes that I've eaten so far and adding more seasoning to your own homemade version to suit your own palate  makes you a happy camper .

I've made half of the recipe , used different veggies I had on hand and instant udon instead of dried udon .


Recipe adapted from Hiroko's American Kitchen

Makes 4 servings

10 ounces dried udon noodles
1/2 pound Boston lettuce
2 scallions
1/2 cup peeled carrot , cut into thin 3-inch-long slices
1/2 cup green bell pepper , cut the same as the carrot
1 cup stemmed and thinly sliced shiitaki mushrooms
canola or vegetable oil for frying
1 pound medium shrimp , shelled and deveined , about 26 pieces
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 medium eggs
1/4 cup dashi stock or low-sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons shoyu / soy sauce

* Boil dried udon 1 minute shorter than the suggested cooking time or if using instant udon , blanch for few seconds , drain well and set aside .

*Cut lettuce into 1 x 2 1/2 -inch strips , cut scallions diagonally , separate the white and the green part . Divide the vegetables into 2 portion . The author recommends to cook two servings at a time as adding too many ingredients to a heated wok will slow down the cooking process .

* In a wok or a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tbsp oil , add half of the shrimp and cook for about 4 minutes . Add half of the garlic and the white part of the scallion and cook for 20 seconds . Transfer to a bowl . Add more oil and when it is hot , add 2 eggs to the wok , turn up heat to medium high and give eggs several large stirs, breaking the yolks and briefly cooking the eggs . When the eggs are fluffy but still undercooked , transfer to to the bowl with the shrimp . Turn down heat to medium , add one portion of the vegetables , cook , stirring from time to time until they are wilted . Add half of the udon , stock , black pepper , salt and soy sauce . Cook the mixture , stirring from time to time until sauce is almost absorbed . Adjust taste and add more seasoning , if desired .

* Add the cook shrimp and eggs , the green part of the scallion to the wok and stir mixture until well incorporated . Transfer to a large platter and keep warm while you do the remaining half of the ingredients .

* Serve immediately .

Comments

  1. I love to read cookbooks, too! And I'm glad you could tweak this recipe with some extra seasonings to make it to your standards :)

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  2. I talk to myself all the time, Anne especially when I'm thumbing through all my neglected cookbooks that are crying to be used. I calm them all down by saying to myself, out loud of course, someday I will cook from this book and then I put it back on the shelf. 4,000 cookbooks have a way of making lots of noise too:)

    I think your noodle dish came out just the way I like it. I'm just surprised at the inclusion of lettuce, very interesting. I must try it "someday."

    Thanks for sharing, Anne...

    P.S. The last time I went to the library, they were having a book sale. I bought 8 boxes of cookbooks! The one good thing about that was, I didn't have to carry them all back!

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    1. Louise , gahhhhh thousands of cookbooks ?! Its like having your own library ! Thinking about your cookbooks just makes my mouth water lol Re lettuce , sometimes I use it when making stir fries .

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  3. Hi Anne,
    I love reading cookbooks, i will never get bored reading over and over again :D
    Reading a cookbook is like eating with my eye...lols

    Your yaki udon look great.We are a bit alike, i like to add dark soy sauce whenever i fried noodles..:D
    mui

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    1. Doreen , good thing I'm not the only one who loves to add dark soy to any fried noodles lol

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  4. Well on my computer screen it looks relish...in fact looking at it I started craving noodles! Lashings of red chilli sauce sounds yum...

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  5. hi anne! dont know why there's no update from your blog on my dashboard..i actually saw you had new posts from google plus! your yaki udon looks great to me..the colour is okay to me :)

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  6. what a collection of books! at least the dish looked good to me:)
    ps. nice to see you back!

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