Vegan Udon Stir Fry
This udon noodle dish is inspired by the dish 'beef yaki udon' a Japanese stir fried noodle dish.
A stir fry is my go-to lazy easy weeknight dinner quick, satisfying, and perfect for using up whatever veg is hanging around. But honestly, back when I couldn’t cook, I relied on those supermarket stir-fry kits and packet sauces, and they almost always turned into a soggy mix of overcooked veggies with a pretty underwhelming flavor.
Once I got more into cooking, I decided to crack the code and make an easy stir fry recipe completely from scratch. And let me tell you choosing your own veggies, adjusting the cook time, and making up a homemade stir fry sauce makes all the difference.
The secret is in adding the veg at the right time and making a sauce that actually suits your taste. It’s a tiny bit of extra effort with a massive payoff.
This version is loaded with my favorite chewy udon noodles, plus broccolini and pak choi, all tossed in a sauce I’m genuinely obsessed with. Give it a go and prepare for a next-level udon noodle stir fry that’ll make you ditch the packet stuff for good.
Why you'll love this vegan yaki udon
Easy- To make this udon all you need to do is prep the ingredients, mix up a sauce and stir fry everything.
Quick- You can have this dish cooked from start to finish in 15-20 minutes.
Satisfying- Thick, udon noodles for carbs, tofu for protein, veggies for crunch all covered in a delicious savoury sauce. This will leave you feeling full and satisfied.
Customizable- Don’t have any pak choi? Use whatever veg you have on hand. Don’t fancy tofu? Use vegan chicken instead! Stir fry is very customisable!
What ingredients you will need for udon stir fry
- Tofu- This recipe calls for extra firm tofu that we will thinly slice with a mandolin. Only the firmest tofu will hold up in the mandolin so if you have a less firm tofu you’ll need to slice a little thicker. And also if you don’t have a mandolin then you can thinly slice with a knife.
- Udon- I use pre cooked packaged udon.
- Pak choi & tender stem- these are my all time favourite veg to use in a stir fry however if you have vegetables that need using up then feel free to use them just be conscious of cooking times for different vegetables.
- Sauce ingredients- I strongly recommend you use the ingredients I have listed for the sauce, most of them are cupboard staples for Chinese cooking. Once you have made this stir fry sauce you’ll want to eat it time and time again so it’s worth having all of the sauce ingredients in your cupboard.
- MSG- The use of MSG is so important to upgrade the savoury flavours and really make the dish pop. You can buy MSG from all Asian supermarkets or online.
How to cook stir fry without the veg going soggy
The key to a good stir fry is to get your timings right with adding the vegetables. For example, the broccoli stalks will take longer to cook than the broccoli heads so add the stalks in a minute before the heads. This will ensure every vegetable is cooked to perfection.
Common stir fry mistakes to avoid
- Overcooking the noodles- udon noodles only need to be cooked for 1 minute in boiling water- any longer and they will become too soft and sticky. Be sure to have the pot of water on a rolling boil before adding the noodles. Then set a timer and immediately drain the noodles after the minute. Lastly to stop the cooking process- rinse the noodles in cold water
- Overcooking the vegetables- Be sure to add the vegetables in the right order- the harder ones first and leafy veg last.
- Stir fry going soggy- Rinsing the cooked noodles in cold water is vital to stop a soggy stir fry. But another tip is to put the noodles and the sauce in last and toss on high heat for below a minute- this allows everything to get coated in the sauce but doesn’t overcook anything else.
Prep ahead tip
Stir frying is a speedy process and everything needs to be cooked for the right amount of time. To get this right a great idea is to have everything prepared before even turning on the heat. Get your noodles cooked, tofu sliced, vegetables prepared and sauce mixed and everything kept next to the stove in order to work quickly.
If you’d like to prep ahead days before you can cut the vegetables and tofu and mix the sauce and keep in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Step by step of how to make this recipe
- Boil the udon
- Drain and rinse in cold water
- Stir fry the vegetables
- In a separate pan fry the tofu then add to the vegetables
- Add the udon
- Add the sauce
- Add the corn flour slurry until sauce thickens
- Enjoy!
Tofu and Broccoli Udon Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 280 g Tofu extra firm
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 2 packs Udon noodles
- 220 g Tender stem broccoli
- 250 g Pak choi
- Sesame seeds to serve
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 150 ml Vegan chicken stock
Instructions
- Boil the udon for 1 minute and then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside
- Thinly slice the tofu and add to a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of corn flour. Toss to coat the tofu
- Pan fry the tofu slices until golden on each side and set aside.
- Chop the broccoli and Pak Choi into bitesize pieces then stir fry in oil until cooked through.
- Add the tofu back in and then the noodles. Stir fry for a minute.
- Add in all of the sauce ingredients and cook for another minute.
- In a small bowl mix together the remaining corn flour and 2 tbsp of water and add to the pan. Cook until sauce reaches desired consistency.
- Serve topped with sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
More tofu recipes from the blog
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