ThisEasy Shoyu Udon: One-Bowl Soy Sauce Noodles is a very tasty, customizable udon noodle recipe. It comes together so easily too!
Everything can easily be adjusted to your taste and you can also add in tofu and other vegetables or even mushrooms of your choice, and cook these down in the microwave.
This is literally ~the easiest~ one bowl shoyu udon recipe recipe that was actually a spur-of-the-moment creation since I just had a short break from work and wanted a satisfying noodle dish.
This Shoyu Udon recipe is basically shoyu (soy sauce) and udon (thick wheat noodles) that I mixed with a few other basic ingredients.
UDON/NOODLES USED
For this One Bowl Soy Sauce Udon Noodles, I use either instant fresh udon noodles, that I keep in the fridge, or frozen sanuki udon (which is the better, chewier option!).
VACUUM-SEALED PACKS
These noodles are in vacuum-sealed packets and are already cooked so I just soak them in some hot water to carefully separate these and cook them down a bit more.
FROZEN UDON NOODLES
You can also find frozen Sanuki udon noodles from local Asian stores or groceries that you can also use for this recipe. If you get the frozen noodles, you can place them on the bowl and cover it before cooking in the microwave. I microwave mine for around 2.5 to 3 minutes or until chewy to my liking.
WHICH UDON TYPE DO I PREFER AND RECOMMEND?
Definitely the frozen Sanuki Udon! These are a lot chewier and hold up better than the cooked vacuum-sealed ones. The vacuum-sealed ones can be a bit mushy and break apart more easily, depending on the brand.
HOW TO PREPARE THE NOODLES
FOR INSTANT PACKAGED NOODLES
I placed the noodles in the bowl and then poured in some hot water before covering it with a plate to retain the steam.
Afterwards, I drain the water. You can also watch my video below showing you how I prepared this bowl of noodles.
FOR FROZEN UDON NOODLES
I place a 'brick' of udon in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a silicone lid. I microwave the udon noodles for around 2.5 to 3 minutes or until chewy to my liking.
SOY SAUCES AND OTHER CONDIMENTS FOR THIS ONE BOWL SHOYU UDON
I mixed in all the sauces and seasonings. I used the following:
You can also find the full recipe in the card below!
- Soy sauce, or more to taste
- Dark soy sauce, optional for colour
- Rice vinegar or other vinegar
- Maple syrup or other liquid sweetener, for hint of sweetness
- Sesame oil
HOW TO SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR SHOYU UDON
Afterwards, I mixed the noodles with the sauces. The noodles will absorb some of the sauces before oppingg some sliced extra firm smoked/baked tofu, scallions, sesame seeds, and some chili garlic sauce in and TA-DA!
I had a hearty meal in minutes :)
TOPPINGS/OTHER FILLINGS OF CHOICE FOR YOUR SHOYU UDON
I used five spice tofu, thatโs very similar to baked tofu, and simple sliced these into thin strips before mixing into the noodles. You can opt to skip these or even add some sliced mushrooms or veggies. It's really up to you!
If using sliced mushrooms, you can quickly cook the mushrooms and the noodles in the microwave. Itโd be best to cover the bowl to cook these n the steam.
You can also add some chili garlic sauce or chili oil if you like some spice.
Find my homemade chili garlic sauce recipe here.
You can find the recipe for this one-bowl shoyu udon below. Enjoy! :)
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If you try out this recipe, Iโd appreciate if you leave a rating or simply click on the stars โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ on my recipe card!
Easy Shoyu Udon: One-Bowl Soy Sauce Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 serving frozen sanuki udon or instant fresh udon noodles (see notes)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or more to taste (see notes)
- 1 tsp dark mushroom soy sauce optional for colour
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar or other vinegar
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup or other liquid sweetener for hint of sweetness
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce or chili crisp oil for heat (if desired)โyou can also use other chili sauce!
- Chopped scallions
- Sliced baked tofu 5-spice tofu, or smoked tofu (optional)
Instructions
- Place the instant udon noodles in a large heat proof bowl. Pour hot water into the noodles to separate these. Leave the noodles to soak for 3-4 minutes or until chewy to your liking. You can also cover the bowl to keep the steam in. Afterwards, drain the water from the bowl. You can leave some liquid just to help mix everything together better. (See below if using frozen udon)
- If using frozen udon, place a 'brick' of udon in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a microwave-safe lid. I microwave the udon noodles for around 2.5 to 3 minutes or until chewy to my liking.
- Add in the soy sauces, vinegar, syrup or other sweeter, sesame oil, sesame seeds, scallions, tofu, and chili garlic sauce/chili crisp oil.
- Mix together until the noodles are well coated. The noodles will also absorb some of the sauces as it sits in the mixture.
- Taste the noodles and feel free to season with more soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, etc, if youโd like, to taste. Enjoy!
WATCH Video
Notes
UDON NOODLES
- Personal preference: I prefer frozen sanuki udon that I microwave in a heatproof bowl (with a lid) because they come out chewier and hold up better.
- Instant udon: I also used vacuum sealed packets of udon that from local Asian stores and usually come in a big bag of 5 udon packs. I find that some of these can be mushy and break apart easily depending on the brand used.
- For frozen sanuki udon, you can check the freezer section for frozen ready-to-heat udon noodles. If youโre using frozen udon noodles, you can microwave these until cooked through.ย
- I microwave my noodles covered in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid and just mix it mid way through cooking to loosen the noodles.
- I microwave mine for around 2.5 to 3 minutes or until chewy to my liking.
- Udon breaking apart into small pieces? There are some brands of udon that are harder to separate and forcing them can just break these apart into very small pieces. If this is the case, I'd recommend boiling these so they can really soften up to separate easier.
SWEETENER
- You can opt to skip the maple syrup or sweetener. Alternatively, you can also use some sugar but make sure the noodles are still hot so these can dissolve well when mixed in.
SOY SAUCE
- If you're looking for a gluten-free alternative, you can use tamari.
DARK SOY SAUCE
- Dark soy sauce here is mostly for the colour and a very subtle umami flavour. So you can skip it or substitute it for more regular soy sauce.
TOFU AND OTHER TOPPINGS
- I used five spice tofu, thatโs very similar to baked tofu, and simple sliced these into thin strips before mixing into the noodles. You can opt to skip these or even add some sliced mushrooms or veggies.
- If using sliced mushrooms or veggies, you can quickly cooked the mushrooms and the noodles in the microwave. Itโd be best to cover the bowl to cook these in the steam.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
You can pin these images:
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So yummy! I used brown rice ramen noodles and it came out great.
Can’t wait to try. Looks delicious. Can’t find frozen or fresh udon here in Minnesota so I thought to order dried online. How much dried for one serving?
Hi Kathy! You can start with 60-70g dry for one serving. โกฬ
Your instagram post gave me major cravings and I made this first thing in the morning. Really easy, delicious and satisfying. Thank you!
Thanks Fei, hope you enjoyed your noodles!! Have a great day โกฬ
Quick and tasty. Loved it – thanks
Hope you enjoyed your noodles Noela! โกฬ
As always your recipe was amazing! Will def make again. 10/10 ???
Thanks so much Angela!! Appreciate it ๐