Stir-Fried Udon With Bacon, Parmesan & Gochujang Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Play Me a Recipe

by: Hana Asbrink

July12,2021

45 Ratings

Stir-Fried Udon With Bacon, Parmesan & Gochujang Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Serves 2

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Author Notes

No one can resist a chubby udon noodle, and this recipe is no different. I've already shared my love for frozen udon bricks, which I always have at the ready in the freezer. You're never far from a quick meal when these pre-cooked noodles are around, as they need less than a minute in a hot water bath before being resuscitated to chewy goodness.

This recipe for spicy udon noodles is how I like to off-road family-favorite carbonara (which I acknowledge this dish certainly is not!) when I'm in the mood for something with a kick. The dish takes inspiration from the Korean pantry, Japanese-style wafu pasta, and the saucy technique from beloved Roman carbonara. As with all stir-fry recipes, the key to success here is to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go as it all comes together very quickly.

First, bacon chunks, chopped scallions, and garlic get sautéed before meeting gochujang and udon noodles. Gochujang is in a class of its own in terms of flavor. While it lends spice and heat, there's also an inherent smokiness, slight sweetness, and umami that is highly addictive. Outside of Korean cuisine, I like to experiment with gochujang in recipes that might call for tomato paste to help give a nuanced layer of heat in the background. By all means, add a bit more in this recipe if you prefer it more spicy.

The whole thing gets even better after being combined with eggs and Parmesan, helping to mute some of the heat and give the noodles a silky richness. The heat from the noodles will be just enough to emulsify the cheese and egg yolk mixture, creating a beautiful, thick sauce that you can loosen a bit with the addition of the udon cooking water.

These chubby, silky noodles are just the ticket for zapping you out of your weeknight dinner doldrums.

Looking for more customizable noodle recipes for an easy weeknight meal? Check out this episode of Play Me a Recipe, where Peter J. Kim makes instant ramen carbonara.

Helpful tools for this recipe:
- Five Two Essential Knives
- Food52 x Rosti Mixing Bowl
- Ekobo Bamboo Colander

—Hana Asbrink

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Stir-Fried Udon With Bacon, Parmesan &Gochujang

Ingredients

1 tablespoonneutral oil
2 slices of thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/4-inch strips or lardons
3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced (reserve 1 tablespoon scallion greens for garnish)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
¹/₂ cupgrated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoonsoy sauce
1 tablespoongochujang
2 blocks frozen udon noodles
¹/₂ cupreserved udon cooking water (you will not be using this all)
¹/₄ teaspoontoasted sesame oil
1 pinchkosher salt (optional) and coarsely ground black pepper (not optional), plus more to taste

Directions

Bring a medium pot filled with water to boil for the udon.
In a skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the bacon, scallions, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Let the bacon fat render slowly and saute all until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Monitor the heat and lower it if it browns too quickly.
In the meantime, in a medium or large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks. Add the cheese, pinch of salt and coarsely ground pepper (at least 8 to 10 turns). It will look like a paste at this point, but the udon cooking water will loosen it up shortly. Set aside.
Lower the skillet’s heat to low. Add the soy sauce and gochujang and "fry" in the bacon's oil. Coat the bacon mixture with the gochujang.
Cook udon noodles according to package instructions (usually 45 to 60 seconds). They are already cooked, so you are just warming them through and gently releasing them from their caked state with tongs or chopsticks. It’s important not to overcook them. Reserve about ½ cup of udon cooking water. Drain in a colander and add the udon noodles to the pan (alternately, you can also use a spider strainer to lift up and drain the udon noodles from the pot and into the skillet—it’s okay to have a bit of the residual water clinging on). Toss until well-combined and udon noodles are coated in the gochujang-bacon sauce. Turn off the heat.
To the mixing bowl with the egg-cheese mixture, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved udon cooking water and mix to form a slightly looser paste. Add the udon noodles and toss until well- combined (you can also add the egg-cheese mixture to the pan that’s off the heat, being careful not to curdle or scramble the eggs). Drizzle in a bit of sesame oil. Season with salt (optional) and pepper (not optional), to your taste. Give it another toss before plating. Top with reserved scallion greens and more coarsely ground pepper, if you’d like. Serve immediately.

Tags:

American
Korean
Play Me a Recipe
Lunch
Dinner

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ErinC
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Alexis deBoschnek
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Hana Asbrink

Recipe by: Hana Asbrink

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46 Reviews

JillyB January 11, 2024

This was a little difficult to pull together with timing, so next time I will do better. The payoff was great though. A delicious blend of flavor and texture. I did not find frozen udon noodles but was able to use a refrigerated version that seemed to work.

ErinC September 14, 2023

Made this today - it was delightful! Went heavy on the bacon and gochujang, recommend! :) Garnished with scallions and added white/black sesame seeds for visual appeal

Nancy M. July 11, 2023

I haven't made this yet so this is a review of the video. I watched it 3 times today. I would watch this woman cook anything. So entertaining. I bought my udon and scallions, and I have everything else, so I will make it tomorrow (tonight I'm having leftover Quick Fried Cabbage with Noodles and Bacon from recipetineats, so delicious, can you detect a pattern here) and I am pretty excited.

GraceE23 June 4, 2023

Loved this recipe. Gochujang is fast becoming one of my store cupboard staples. I’m vegetarian, so swapped out the bacon for broccoli, and cooked it in butter for a higher fat content to melt the gochujang into. It came out delicious. What I like the most is that you can easily swap out the main ingredient for whatever you have in the fridge!

dryakumo March 22, 2023

This is so good! Just slightly spicy, super creamy, and savory from the Parmesan. I added about 6oz of small cooked shrimp to the pan right before adding the noodles since my partner likes a little more protein. He called it a banger!

ik13 February 5, 2023

This is amazing. Watch the heat on this one if you don't want spicy, just lessen the Guchugang. My kids love this. So easy to make too.

caroline February 4, 2022

this is beyond fabulous. So quick and easy and so very flavoursome. You have inspired me to go on and make several variations- adding salted blackbeans,or hoisin, substituting dried shrimp for the bacon,different types of pasta and noodles- all wonderful. Thank you very much for sharing your delicious recipes

kikimm January 16, 2022

Shockingly good. Humble ingredients that punch above their weight. Already want to make this again. Thanks!

Darian January 13, 2022

The whole family LOVED this dish. I doubled for 4 servings and it turned out perfectly. I will definitely be adding to our regular rotation.

FAQs

How to cook udon stir fry from Costco? ›

Pulmuone Teriyaki Stir-fry Udon is available at Costco. Add 1 tbsp of oil, 4 tbsp of water, vegetable topping and Udon Noodles into a sauce pan. Then turn on the heat and stir fry 1-2 minutes over hight heat 2. Add Teriyaki Seasoning and stir fry for another minute over low heat.

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Do you have to boil udon noodles before frying? ›

If you are using semi-dried udon noodles, you need to boil them for around 8 minutes first. 2. Make your sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, vegetable broth, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and hot chili oil.

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What is Japanese udon dish? ›

Udon (うどん or 饂飩) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There is a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as kake udon with a mild broth called kakejiru made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions.

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Are Costco udon noodles cooked? ›

Pre-Cooked Noodles. No MSG Added. 0g Trans Fat. Net Weight 58.41 oz.

How do you know when udon noodles are cooked? ›

To check if the noodles are done, take one out of the pot and taste it. The noodle should be tender but still slightly chewy. If it's too hard, continue to cook for another minute or so. It's important not to overcook the noodles, as they can become mushy and lose their texture.

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What to add to udon? ›

A variety of garnishes can then be added on top, the most popular of which being chopped spring onions, boiled eggs, grated mooli (or daikon) radish, bonito fish flakes, nori seaweed, and tempura batter pieces.

Read The Full Story ›

How long does udon take to cook? ›

If cooking semidried udon, boil 8 to 9 minutes before testing; if cooking dried, boil 10 to 12 minutes. Test by plucking a noodle from pot, plunging it into cold water, then biting. Noodle should be tender with no hard core; outer surface should be slippery but not overly soft.

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What to eat with udon? ›

Udon is traditionally served as a hot noodle soup topped with scallions, tempura or fried tofu. We also love adding udon to stir-fries, particularly this amazing recipe from Chicago chef Takashi Yagihashi, who combines udon with shrimp, chicken, cabbage and mushrooms for a simple yet flavorful dish.

Read The Full Story ›

Why is my udon chewy? ›

Udon noodles are white flour-based noodles that are thick, chewy and silky. What gives udon noodles their characteristic chew is a low water-to-flour ratio. This means the dough is tough to knead by hand—but not impossible—and is often traditionally kneaded with the feet!

What is the pink and white thing in udon noodles? ›

What is the pink thing in Udon? The fish cake called kamaboko. Made from mixture of finely pounded fish (mostly pollock or cod), egg white, potato starch and seasonings, pressed into a log and subsequently steamed, it's a common topping for many noodle dishes.

Get More Info Here ›

Is udon eaten with a spoon? ›

As you eat the noodles with your chopsticks, many people lift the bowl to drink the soup at the same time, however, a large spoon is usually provided when serving. Garnishes are usually scallions, shichimi, sesame seeds, or ginger.

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How do you cook udon noodles from a package? ›

COOKING STORE-BOUGHT UDON NOODLES

If cooking semi-dried (slightly flexible, shelf stable) udon, boil for 6-7 minutes before testing for tenderness; if cooking dried (brittle, shelf stable) udon, boil for 9-10 minutes. Test by plucking a noodle from the pot, plunging it in cold water, then biting.

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How long to microwave udon stir-fry noodles? ›

Microwave Directions – Place udon noodles, teriyaki sauce, topping & 1/4 cup of water in a microwave safe dish. Cover and heat on high for 3-4 minutes. Stir well and enjoy.

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Does Costco udon noodle salad need to be cooked? ›

Introducing the brand new Costco deli item - Udon Noodle Salad Kit! Quick tip: Enjoy it fresh as the noodles tend to become hardened and dry if left in the fridge. Plus, udon noodles taste best when heated up!