Udon are thick Japanese noodles made from wheat flour. They’re delicious in both soups and stir-fries. I occasionally swap out my regular bánh canh noodles, which are made mostly from tapioca flour, for udon because they’re heartier and have a chewier texture. Udon also works especially well in stir-fries since the thick noodles soak up the sauce beautifully.
In my house, a quick stir-fry with udon noodles, shrimp, carrots, mushrooms, and sugar snap peas is the kids’ lunch of choice. Add a spoonful of your favorite chili oil and it instantly becomes the adults’ favorite too.
Enjoy the recipe below!
Stir-Fried Udon with Shrimp
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
An easy shrimp udon stir-fry is made with thick udon noodles, fresh shrimp, carrots, and crisp sugar snap peas tossed in a savory dark sauce. Ready in about 15 minutes, it’s a quick and delicious meal that’s perfect for both kids and adults.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 lbs cooked udon
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (I’m using vegetable oil)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced; optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together corn starch and water/chicken stock until fully dissolved. Add rest of sauce ingredients (oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce and garlic powder) and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Blanch vegetables (optional): Blanching the sugar snap peas and carrots is optional but I find it provides great texture. To blanch the vegetables (no need to blanch mushrooms), bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add carrots and sugar snap peas. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer vegetables from boiling water to a bowl of ice water. The ice water will stop the cooking and preserve the vibrant colors.
- Cook shrimp: In a large wok, heat up vegetable oil on medium high. Add garlic. Sauté until fragrant (about 20) seconds. Add shrimp and cook until nicely seared on all sides (about 1 minute). Coat shrimp with a light layer of stir-fry sauce and toss together until combined. Remove shrimp from wok and set aside.
- Combine: To the now empty wok, add udon, mushrooms, sugar snap peas and carrots. Add remaining stir-fry sauce and toss until combined. Let udon absorb the sauce. When sauce comes to a boil at the bottom of the wok, turn off heat. Add shrimp and toss until combined.
- Finish: Garnish with black pepper and sliced green onions before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Fusion, Japanese, Vietnamese
