I discovered udon noodles in 2020 at the height of the lockdown. There has been no turning back. Here I pair it with a slightly saucy minced pork & broccoli mix which goes so well together.
Udon noodles is easily available at the supermarkets here. Look at the section with all the dry noodles/instant noodles and you should find it. I use the Vit’s brand and it comes in a pack with three inner packs of noodles. The noodles are sort of caked up and it does need some loosening up before it’s ready. I love the chewiness of the noodles and in this particular recipe I like how the noodles absorb the minimal sauce from the minced pork and broccoli mix.
So what I do is bring a pot of water to a simmer (not boiling) and put the noodle amount inside. I use a kitchen tong to separate and loosen them. Then drain. Now they are ready.
Now onto the delicious minced pork (you can use chicken if preferred) and broccoli mix. First off, I fry some minced ginger and garlic in some oil in a wok.
From here, I add in the minced pork. I let it just sit in the hot wok for a bit to get some nice char at the bottom. I love that. So about 3-5 mins in the wok. You can tell when it’s getting nicely browned on the sides that it’s almost time to toss.
Before I begin to toss the pork about, I add in the broccoli. I put in a tiny amout of water too to get the broccoli cooking too.
Once the broccoli starts cooking and the sides of the pork are nice and browned, I toss everything together.
On this particular day, I also added in some grated carrot. Finally I add in the sauce and give everything a good toss. Allow the minced pork/chicken to soak in the sauce. Switch off heat and add sesame oil.
To serve, I add the udon noodles into a bowl and scoop out the minced pork & broccoli mix onto it. Add sesame seeds or chilli flakes to taste.
The whole udon experience (which I came to know about thanks to my sister), was inspired by Marion Grasby. She has numerous udon recipes on her site. Watch her videos too and you will be further introduced into the wonderful world of udon.
Did you try this recipe?
Please do let me know if you've tried it, by leaving a comment or tagging me on IG @thesuddencook.
Udon with Minced Pork & Broccoli
Udon noodles. They are great to have in the pantry to make quick dishes such as these. Pair them with this minced pork and broccoli mix and dinner is ready!
300-350gMinced Porkcan be subbed with minced chicken.
200gbroccoli cut into small florets
3clovesgarlicminced
Small piece gingerminced
1tspsesame oil
Mix in a bowl:
4tbspoyster sauce
1tbsplight soya sauce
1tspdark soya sauce
1tspsugar
Instructions
Bring a pot of water to a simmer (not boil). Remove udon from packets and place into pot. Using a tong, gently shake the caked up noodles till they separate. Drain immediately.
Add 2 tbsp oil in a wok.
Add ginger then garlic and fry quickly. Add in pork mince. Don't stir the mince yet, let it sit in hot wok and get a nice char. Once you see the sides nice and brown, add in the broccoli. Mix all together. Add a tiny bit of water to get the broccoli cooking and keep tossing.
Add sauce and combine till pork/chicken has soaked up all the sauce. Turn off heat, add in sesame oil.
To Serve
Spoon udon noodles into bowl. Top with pork & broccoli mixture.
Garnish with spring onions, sesame seeds or chilli flakes if preferred. Done.
Notes
Top tips as follows:
Don't overcook the broccoli till soft. You want some crunch.
Be careful with sesame oil, it can be overpowering if used too much.
Let the minced pork/chicken get a nice char at the bottom before tossing everything to combine.
Thank you for dropping by! My name is Hema and I’m based in Malaysia. I got married about 15 years ago, and had to ‘suddenly‘ do the cooking. This is my space where I share good recipes which have worked for me and my family over the years. Hope you give them a go:)
This looks like a perfectly healthy and tasty meal!
It is! And so quick to prepare:)
You can be sure I will be slurping these noodles away, with the mince topping.
Yessss the mince topping has SO much flavour:)