When you need a quick weeknight meal and don’t have much left in your fridge, this 20 minute kimchi udon will come to your rescue! Its combination of spicy, savory and buttery flavours will have your taste buds doing their happy dance!
Kimchi udon is so quick to make and super versatile. In this recipe, I used mushrooms, but it works well with any vegetables you like or whatever you have leftover in the fridge. Julienned cabbage, carrots, green beans, peppers and even spinach are great options.
In this recipe, I didn’t use any meat, but I topped it off with a fried egg with a runny egg yolk because I can never get enough of those. They make literally every dish taste more awesome! If you prefer meat, pork belly, bacon or thinly sliced beef would be terrific options.
Did you know eating kimchi is beneficial to your health?
- Rich in probiotics that promote healthy bacteria in the stomach
- Has an anti-inflammatory effect on the gut and aids digestion
- Contains vitamin A for heart health and vitamin C for immune health
- May reduce inflammation to prevent numerous diseases and slow aging
- Low calorie, low fat food
How do you make kimchi udon?
- Stir fry the kimchi, mushrooms, gochujang, gochugaru and garlic.
- Cook the udon and transfer it to the wok. Save 1/2 cup of water the udon was cooked in.
- Add soy sauce, sesame oil, udon water and butter. Stir fry and toss until well mixed.
- Adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Top with a fried egg and enjoy!
Cooking tip:
Reserve 1/2 cup of udon water to use in the sauce. The starchy water will help make the sauce silkier and bind it to the noodles, just like when cooking pasta.
For more kimchi recipes, check out:
20 Minute Kimchi Udon
Ingredients
- 800 g of udon 4x200g packages
- 1/2 tablespoon butter for cooking the vegetables
- 1 cup kimchi chopped
- 200 g cremini mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tablespoon gochujang Korean chili paste
- 1/2 teaspoon gochugaru Korean chili powder
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons butter for the noodles
- 3 green onions sliced thinly
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- In a wok or large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter on medium high heat. Stir fry the kimchi, mushrooms, gochujang, gochugaru and garlic.
- Meanwhile cook udon according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of water that the udon was cooked in. Udon should be al dente. Transfer udon to wok.
- Add soy sauce, sesame oil, 1/4 cup water udon was cooked in and 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir fry and toss with tongs until well mixed. If the noodle is dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup of udon water while continuing to stir fry and toss. This will help the noodles and sauce come together like cooking pasta.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. You might need some more soy sauce depending how salty the kimchi is. Or, if you like it spicier, add some more gochujang or gochugaru. You can also add some kimchi juice (liquid from the kimchi jar) if you want a stronger kimchi flavour.
- Top each serving with a fried egg and green onion. Enjoy!
