Beef and Udon Stir-Fry
Thin slices of beef stir-fried with udon noodles, spring onions and a glossy soy-mirin sauce. A fast, savory one-pan dinner.
- Total
- 15 min
- Prep 7 · Cook 8
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Stir-frying
- Savory
- Quick
- Asian
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Bring 1 l water to a rolling boil in a large pot. While it heats, slice the beef across the grain into 5 mm strips and cut the spring onions into 3 cm lengths, keeping the white parts and green tops separate. Stir the soy sauce and mirin together in a small bowl.
~5 min
Mixing the sauce ahead lets the soy and mirin meld, so it can be poured in one quick addition once the wok is hot.
-
Add the udon noodles to the boiling water and cook until they separate and turn tender, about 2 minutes. Drain well in a colander and shake off excess water.
~2 min
Udon are already cooked, so a brief boil only separates and warms them; overcooking makes them mushy and waterlogged.
-
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the beef in a single layer, season with the salt and black pepper, and stir-fry until browned but still slightly pink inside, about 2 minutes.
~2 min
A single uncrowded layer keeps the pan hot so the beef browns through Maillard reactions instead of steaming in its own moisture.
Sear the beef in one uncrowded layer and resist stirring at first: a dry surface and a hot wok give the browning that builds the sauce's flavor.
Searing Get the wok shimmering hot and lay the beef in one uncrowded layer. Wait for a browned crust before stirring; moving it too early steams the meat grey.
Stir-frying Keep the heat high and keep ingredients moving after the initial sear. Cook in stages and add sauce only when the pan is hot enough to glaze, not boil.
-
Add the white spring onion parts to the beef and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the soy sauce and mirin mixture and let it bubble for 30 seconds to glaze the meat.
~1 min
Adding the sauce to a hot pan lets it bubble and reduce into a glossy glaze that clings to the meat rather than pooling.
Stir-frying Keep the heat high and keep ingredients moving after the initial sear. Cook in stages and add sauce only when the pan is hot enough to glaze, not boil.
-
Add the drained udon noodles and the green spring onion tops. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes until the noodles are hot, coated in the glossy sauce and any liquid has reduced. Taste and adjust the salt if needed, then serve at once.
~2 min
Tossing over high heat evaporates excess liquid so the sauce thickens and coats the noodles instead of leaving them soupy.
Udon noodles are already cooked, so they only need to heat through in the pan. Drain them well or the extra water will steam the beef instead of glazing it.
Stir-frying Keep the heat high and keep ingredients moving after the initial sear. Cook in stages and add sauce only when the pan is hot enough to glaze, not boil.