Ramen is extremely popular in the food world right now. Just look at Instagram nowadays and see the sheer amount of ramen porn there is out there. You can almost say that ramen is a little overrated, or at least you can say that there are other great noodles that are just not getting enough love.
Take udon, for example. Udon is the thick and chewy noodle that is extremely tasty as a soup or as a stirfry. As a soup, udon is usually served in a light and slightly sweet broth made from dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. It also is served with a myriad of toppings, and is extremely satisfying. The beauty of udon is that the broth doesn’t take a lot of time or mastery as ramen, as you can pretty much make it in less than 30 minutes. But that’s for another post.
Today, we will be using udon noodles in a simple but delicious stirfry that takes only a few minutes to make. It utilizes umami powerful kimchi and gets another spicy kick and savoury punch from spicy Italian sausage. Add a few components you have lying around like green onion, shallots, and butter to make this dish pop.
You will need for 2:
- 2 spicy Italian sausages, removed from casings
- Udon noodles x 2 servings (frozen or instant)
- 1 cup kimchi
- ¼ cup shallots, sliced
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
Start by boiling water in a medium saucepan. Add the udon noodles and cook for 60 seconds. If you’re using the frozen udon, start timing once the noodles come apart. Strain and set aside.
Heat up the oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until they are no longer pink. Add the shallots and cook briefly for about a minute. Add the kimchi and continue to cook, moving everything around as you go until the kimchi is slightly browned. Add the udon and continue to cook while stirring. Once the noodles are coated and everything is combined, add the butter and toss everything one last time. Done.
Transfer to plates and top with the chopped scallions. Put into face.