For fans of Japanese instant noodles or Japanese cuisine, udon noodles are a quick and easy comfort meal.
There are many ways to cook frozen udon noodles, many of which may begin with frozen udon noodles. This is because, in Asian grocery stores, you will likely find udon noodles in the freezer section.
Cooking frozen food can be confusing because you never know if you should thaw the food first or cook it straight away. So if this is you, take a breather because we’re here to help.
This article will give you tips and guide you through cooking frozen udon noodles.
How to Cook Frozen Udon Noodles
Udon noodles have an interestingly mild flavor that can take on the strongest ingredients and spices. Along with their mild flavor, udon noodles are thick and chewy, which allows them easily blend into many recipes.
Due to its mild flavor and versatile texture, you can cook udon noodles in several ways. We’re going to show you how.
When cooking frozen udon noodles, do not thaw them. Cook them from frozen instead. The interesting fact is frozen udon noodles may only take one or two extra minutes to cook compared to fresh udon noodles.
Here is a recipe:
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serving size: 3
Ingredients
- 2 seven-ounce packages of frozen udon noodles
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Fresh ginger, about 1-inch (peeled and finely minced)
- 2-4 garlic cloves (peeled and finely minced)
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- ½ cup cubed firm tofu or pre-cooked chicken or pork or beef (optional)
- 1 teaspoon each of sesame, olive, vegetable, or canola oil
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen vegetables (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon of white miso paste or 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce
Guide
- Follow the instructions on the packaging to boil and drain. Add the sesame, vegetable, olive, and canola oil and mix gently.
- On medium heat, add the teaspoon of olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan and leave it till it shimmers. Sauté the ginger and garlic for about half a minute (try not to burn them).
- Follow up with two cups of chicken broth. Allow to boil and reduce the heat so that the mix can simmer. Add the vegetables and cook for about two minutes till they’re crispy and tender.
- Add tofu, chicken, or beef and cook for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it seat covered.
- Add the leftover one cup of chicken broth to a small pot and heat until it starts to steam. Remove it from heat and mix the miso paste until it dissolves.
- Add this mix to the one from step 4, followed by the soy sauce. Next, carefully stir in the cooled udon noodles and heat on low without bringing the soup to a boil.
- Add toppings and seasonings of your choice and enjoy.
Read also: How to Eat Pupusas
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Udon Noodles
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes (total cook time: 25 minutes)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 16-ounce udon noodles (fresh)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3/4 pound chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut into small pieces)
- 4 white mushrooms (sliced)
- 3 green onions (chopped)
Ingredients for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce
- 1/4 a cup of hoisin sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (freshly grated)
- 1/2 a cup of low sodium chicken broth
- Black pepper
Guide
- Cook udon noodles in boiling water for about 1 or 2 minutes over medium heat. Drain and rinse with running cold water. Set the cooked udon noodles aside.
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small bowl.
- Add the olive oil to a skillet and follow up with the chicken. Fry the chicken pieces till they start to turn a light brown. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms begin to turn brown.
- Put the udon noodles and sauce in a wok, combine well, and cook until the noodles are tender. Top with green onions and the mix in step 3. Serve immediately.
How to Cook Frozen Udon Sanuki Noodles
You can cook frozen udon Sanuki noodles using udon noodles recipes. Nevertheless, here’s a simple way to boil udon Sanuki and prep it for any udon Sanuki noodle recipe.
Ingredients
- Water
- Udon Sanuki noodles of your choice
Guide
- Add the frozen udon Sanuki noodles to a large pot of boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain the noodles with a strainer.
- Next, use any udon noodle recipe of your choice
How to Cook Frozen Japanese Udon Noodles
Before you indulge in any udon noodle recipe, you must remember that frozen Japanese udon noodles should not be thawed. Instead, you should always cook frozen udon noodles frozen.
We outlined some finger-licking udon recipes earlier in this article. However, here are more recipes:
How to Cook Stir Fry Udon Noodle (Yaki Udon)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes (total cook time: 15 minutes)
Servings: 2
Ingredients for the Udon Noodles
- 2½ cups of stir fry vegetables
- 1 tablespoon of avocado oil
- 2 scallion stalks (cut into 2 inches long pieces)
- ½ a pound of ground meat
- 2 packets of udon noodles (total of 13 oz.)
Ingredients for Yaki Udon Noodle Sauce
- 1 tablespoon of mirin
- 2½ tablespoons of dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
- ½ a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
Guide
- Mix all the yaki udon sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Add the frozen udon noodles directly to a pot of boiling water. Stir the noodles carefully until they are separated. This should take between 1 and 2 minutes.
- When the noodles are tender or al dente, depending on your preference, drain under running cold water. If you are not using the noodles immediately, sprinkle some olive oil to avoid them sticking together.
- Add the avocado oil to a skillet over high heat.
- Add the ground meat and stir-fry until it is nearly cooked. Follow with the vegetables and stir-fry until the vegetables and meat are tender.
- Add the noodles, the sauce from step 1, and the scallions. Stir the mix well for approximately 3 minutes or until it has been well-mixed. Serve and enjoy instantly.
How to Boil Frozen Udon Noodle on the Stovetop
Ingredients
- Water
- Frozen udon noodles
- Your preferred spices and ingredients.
Guide
- Boil water in a pot on medium heat.
- Add your preferred spices and ingredients.
- Next, add the frozen udon noodles and cook al dente. The al dente texture can be achieved in about 1 minute of boiling.
Can you microwave frozen udon noodles?
You can microwave frozen udon noodles. Here’s how:
- Don’t defrost the noodles
- Add all the spices and ingredients of your choice
- Follow with enough water to cover the noodles
- Cook on high for 4-5 minutes.
How long do you cook frozen udon noodles?
The time required to cook frozen udon noodles depends largely on the recipe, from the prep time to the cooking time.
However, 1 or 2 minutes is all you need to boil frozen udon noodles Al dente.
Are Frozen Udon Noodles better?
If you like udon noodles, chewy and gummy, you’ll be better served if you use frozen udon noodles. Additionally, since frozen udon noodles are already pre-cooked, they tend to cook faster than other types of udon noodles. So if you want a quick bowl of udon noodles, frozen udon noodles are your go-to.
Dry udon noodles are thinner, less chewy, and may not require overcooking like frozen udon. The upside of dried udon noodles is their shelf life. Dried udon noodles can last on your shelf longer than other types of udon noodles.
How do you keep Udon Noodles from Breaking?
If you cook industrially-made udon noodles and they break easily, it is likely from the production process. For example, udon noodles break easily when kneaded for too long.
This principle applies to homemade udon noodles. The noodle strands will break if you knead homemade udon noodles for a long time.
One way to keep udon noodles from breaking is to reduce the time spent kneading.
Also, wasting time cutting udon noodles while making them at home can cause the noodles to dry out and break easily. In this case, you can keep udon noodles from breaking by cutting noodles faster during the homemade production process.
