Peanut Butter Udon Noodles

Peanut Butter Udon Noodles

We all know when life gets busy, it’s hard to think of something delicious and nutritious to make for dinner. This is where my Peanut Butter Udon Noodles come in! I am terrible guilty of getting side tracked, running out of time before I need to throw something together that will fill us up, be pretty nutritious and delicious. This recipe has become a quick favourite in our house.

Why This Recipe Is Amazing

Flavour & Texture: Thick chewy noodles in a creamy Asian peanut satay style sauce with fresh tender vegetables.

Difficulty & Time: 1/5. Stir the sauce ingredients together, cook the chicken (or other protein), cook the vegetables and noodles, combine and you done in under 30 mins!

Versatility: Chicken, pork, turkey, beef, tofu – it can all work! Play around with any vegetables you like that you like such as corn and carrot, heck you can even save time with those frozen vegetable packets. Don’t have or like Udon? Try different noodles like Ramen or Hokkien too!

What are Udon Noodles and can they be substituted?

Udon noodles are a type of thick, chewy white Japanese noodle made from wheat flour, water, and salt. They are typically used in a variety of Japanese dishes, such as udon soup, stir-fries, and cold salads.

If you’re looking to substitute udon noodles, you can use other types of noodles, like ramen, soba, rice, or even spaghetti. Be aware the texture and flavour of the dish will be different, so it’s important to consider how the substitution will affect the overall dish.

What Main Ingredients Are Needed

• Peanut Butter: The base of the sauce and the real VIP. PB adds a creamy element and helps create a nice thick homogenous sauce. I prefer a crunchy variety to also add some texture to the dish but you can replace with some chopped peanuts. Avoid a peanut butter with too much sugar or tweak the amount of honey and soy sauce to balance as this sauce is more savoury than sweet.
• Soy Sauce: Light soy is usually the standard unless specified but you can use a little of both if you’d like to boost the flavour and richer colour. Light soy has a lighter colour and less intense soy flavour but it is saltier. Dark soy is often thicker, richer in umami flavour but less salty.
• Honey: We are trying to balance the salty and creamy elements with some sweetness. Swap out of your preferred sweetener such as brown sugar, maple syrup etc but remember to ABT Always be Tasting- taste test throughout and add more as you go. You cant take away so its better to build on sweetness.
• Fresh Garlic & Ginger: Flavour flavour flavour! These guys a going to give you a huge hit, don’t go easy on either.
• Hot Water– Used to help softened the peanut butter and thin out the sauce.
• Fresh or Frozen Vegetables: When i say this recipe is versatile, i mean it. You can add most vegetables on offer. I usually go for spring onion/scallion, big fat Portobello mushrooms and snow peas. I also like broccoli, carrot, corn. Use what you have in the fridge or freezer. The frozen steam-fresh packets are great or Asian-style bulk packets.
• Szechuan chilli oil: This Szechuan chilli oil recipe is great on everything! Wonderfully spicy with a nice hit of numbing Szechuan peppercorns and fragrant spices. It will be your new secret ingredient. If you don’t have it on hand, regular chilli oil or hot sauce can also work.
• Protein – Chicken, Pork, Tofu: This recipe is super versatile. I usually use sliced chicken breast but sliced or ground pork, beef and turkey can also work. Its a great way to add protein to you diet.
• Udon noodles: The star of the show is the noodles. Udon are very thick, chewy noodles made from wheat flour. Don’t have or like Udon? This dish works great with ramen, soba or other noodles too.