Easy Udon Noodle Teriyaki with Mushrooms, Tofu & Veggies

This is a great meal when you don't want to spend a ton of time on dinner. I really was using what I had on hand, so feel free to mix it up, but in this bowl you'll find udon noodles, red pepper, carrot, celery, mushrooms, tofu, nori and a simple teriyaki inspired sauce.

Udon noodles are amazing because you don't have to boil a pot of water to cook them, as long as they are added to the wok along with the sauce or liquid, it gives them enough time to soften and heat through. If you aren't familiar with Udon noodles they are delicious. They are a thick, chewy (in a good way) wheat flour noodle typically used in Japanese cuisine. I also was pleasantly surprised to see that there is 9 grams of protein in one package of these noodles! Ok so there was also a lot of sodium, but you win some you lose some. 

For this recipe it's worth the splurge to get a variety of mushrooms. The varying texture and flavour is really delicious. If all I had on hand were button mushrooms it would still be good, but the combination of shitake, oyster, crimini & enoki is perfect. The other ingredient that I think really adds to this dish is a little bit of shredded nori tossed in at the end. The delicious salty sea flavour really lends a layer of complexity. Nori is a type of seaweed used to make sushi rolls and you can find it in the international section of most large supermarkets or Asian groceries. 

Recipe

Serves 2 - 3 people 

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Ingredients for Teriyaki Sauce: (you won't need all of it for veg & noodle amounts)

•  1/2 cup soy sauce
•  1/4 cup water
•  1/4 cup ketjap manis (this is a sweet soy sauce with a syrup like consistency...I am not sure if   it's authentic to use this in a Teriyaki sauce recipe but I'm doing it anyway)
•  1 tbsp sesame oil
•  2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
•  2 tbsp brown sugar
•  1 tsp minced ginger
•  1 tsp minced garlic

Method: 

1. Simply stir all the ingredients together. There will be leftover sauce so store in a jar in the fridge. 

Ingredients for Stir fry:

• 200 grams mixed mushrooms, cut into chunks or slices (or sometimes I just rip them ha)
• 1 carrot, I cut in half length wise then sliced fairly thin on a bias
• 1 leek, thinly sliced 
•  1 red pepper, seeded & thinkly sliced
•  1 stalk of celery sliced on a bias
•  1/2 block firm tofu, pressed to remove liquid & cubed
  
•  1/2 sheet of nori, cut into think julienne strips (I used scissors!)
•  green onion & sesame seeds for garnish

Method:

1.  Begin by sauteeing mushrooms in  a wok with a bit of veg oil. I just got them going for a few minutes then add in the rest of the vegetables & tofu. 
2.  Once you add rest of the vegetables cook for a couple of minutes. You just want to get them started because they will continue cooking with the sauce and noodles. I added a splash of water at this time too.  
3.  Then add 3/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce along with 2 x 200 g packages of udon noodles. I try to get the noodles towards the bottom where the liquid is so they can fall apart. (they come super stuck together) 
4.  After a few minutes the noodles will start to loosen, making it easier to toss them together with the vegetables. The sauce will reduce, while the vegetables and noodles finish cooking. 
5.  Toss in the julienned nori. 
6.  Serve garnished with a sprikle of green onion and sesame seeds. 
7.  Eat with chop sticks if you can!!