Stir-Fried Udon with Shrimp

Udon is thick Japanese noodles made from wheat flour. It's great in both soups and stir-frys. I would occasionally swap out my regular Banh Canh noodles, made from mostly tapioca flour, with Udon noodles because it's heartier with better texture. Udon in stir-fry is also great because the thick udon noodles absorb stir fry sauce nicely.

In my house, a quick stir fry with udon noodles, shrimp, carrots, mushroom and sugar snap peas is the preferred kids' choice for lunch. With the addition of Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce, it's also the preferred adults' choice for lunch. Enjoy the recipe below!

Stir-Fried Udon with Shrimp, Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots

Stir-Fried Udon with Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

Stir-Fry Sauce

• 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 lb cooked udon

• 2 tablespoons 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 teaspoon finely sliced green onion (optional for garnish)

Instructions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. In a large wok, heat up vegetable oil on medium high. Add garlic. Saute until fragrant (about 2-3) seconds. Add shrimp and cook until nicely seared on all sides. Coat shrimp with a light layer of stir-fry sauce and toss together until combined. Remove shrimp from wok and set aside.

4. 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.

5. Garnish with black pepper and sliced green onions before serving.