Udon noodles are one of my faves, but I haven’t cooked with them much at home. Why not? These noodles are easy to come by and I have a wok. Turns out all I needed was a little inspiration and East by Meera Sodha provided plenty.
I took a recipe for UDON NOODLES with red cabbage and cauliflower and recreated it with the exception of (sadly) not finding the pickled ginger I needed but (happily) adding my favorite peanut rãyu to make up for it.
An awesome start to what I think will be many more udon adventures.
UDON NOODLES with red cabbage and cauliflower
Recipe from East by Meera Sohda
Chewy, fat and wonderfully slurp-able, udon noodles are my favourite. They’re deliciously bouncy and quick to cook, especially the wok ready’ sort. In Japan, they are often added to hot soups, but I’ve never managed to work out the bowl-to-mouth manoeuvre without ruining a perfectly good top. I like them best yaki-style: stir-fried with a party of vegetables, and in this instance spiced with curry powder and spiked with lime.
note / Roasting the cabbage brings out its delicious, bitter, caramel notes. The Japanese pink pickled ginger called ‘beni shoga’ is available online, or you can make your own pickled (non-pink) ginger (see page 255).
Ingredients
- 1 small red cabbage (500g), cut into 2cm wedges
- 1 small cauliflower (500g), cut into 4cm florets
- rapeseed oil
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 8-10 spring onions, sliced diagonally into 4cm pieces 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 600g ‘straight to wok’ udon noodles
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp lime juice (from 1½ limes)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C/475°F/gas 9.
- Put the cabbage on one oven tray and the cauliflower on another, making sure the latter is in a single layer, so it doesn’t steam. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons each of oil and soy sauce, then pour over the cauliflower and cabbage. Pop both trays into the oven. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes, until just tender and blackening, then remove. Roast the cabbage for 20 minutes longer, until burned at the edges but still holding its shape.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium- high flame. Add the spring onions and fry for 2 minutes, until starting to brown but still bright green. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the noodles, toss to coat in the garlicky oil and spring onions, then stir in the curry powder and mirin, and cook for a minute. Add the cabbage and cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes, until the noodles take on a little colour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy and the lime juice, and toss to coat.
- Transfer to four plates or bowls, and sprinkle with the pickled ginger and sesame seeds.
Comments welcome!