Sara Udon is a Japanese take on the popular Chinese crispy noodles dish with saucy seafood and vegetables. Skip takeout and make this Nagasaki fried noodles recipe at home tonight!
Combine 1½ cups chicken stock/broth, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, ½ Tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp sugar. Mix all together well and set aside.
To Prepare the Ingredients
Place in separate bowls the 4 oz sliced pork belly, 2 oz shrimp, and 1.6 oz squid. Add 1 tsp sake to each bowl (3 tsp sake total) to help remove the unwanted odor.
Add 1 tsp soy sauce to the pork, combine well, and set aside.
Rehydrate 2 Tbsp dried wood ear mushrooms and cut into smaller pieces.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Take out 6 quail eggs from the refrigerator and carefully place in the boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 3 minutes.
Once they finished cooking, place the quail eggs in iced water. Once cool, remove the shells.
Score the squid in a crisscross pattern by making parallel diagonal lines in one direction, then the other. Make sure not to cut it all the way through. Thinly slice 1 oz kamaboko (fish cake).
Cut ¼ onion into wedges and then cut in half widthwise.
Thinly slice 2 inches carrot into slabs. Then, cut them in half lengthwise.
Cut 3 leaves napa cabbage into roughly 2-inch (5-cm) pieces widthwise and then cut them in half lengthwise.
Remove the stems of 2 shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps.
Remove the strings from 4 snow peas and cut in half.
To make the slurry, in a small bowl combine 6 Tbsp water (make sure it’s not warm/hot) and 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Whisk well together and set aside.
Carefully loosen 2 servings deep-fried crispy noodles on individual plates.
To Stir-Fry
Heat the wok on medium-high heat. Once the wok is hot, add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil and the pork.
Stir to loosen the pork belly slices. Add the shrimp and squid. Stir to combine.
When the meat is no longer pink, add the onion. Stir well until coated with oil.
Add the hard bottom part of the napa cabbage and wood ear mushrooms.
Add the carrot, leafy parts of the napa cabbage, and4 oz bean sprouts.
Add the shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko fish cakes, and snow peas.
Add the sauce mixture into the wok and mix well. Add the boiled quail eggs.
Season with ⅛ tsp white pepper powder and 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Taste the soup to make sure the flavor is to your liking.
Whisk the slurry one more time and add to the wok. Mix well until thickened.
To Serve
Divide and pour the stir-fried ingredients and gravy sauce over the crispy noodles and serve. You can add a tiny dab of Japanese karashi hot mustard on the edge of your plate for the noodles (you don‘t have to mix it), if you‘d like. When you want to change up the flavor, drizzle on some rice vinegar (unseasoned) for a different taste (that‘s how the TV show shared how to eat this dish). Enjoy!
To Store
Unfortunately, the noodles will not stay crispy. Either you keep the toppings separate from the crispy noodles, or you enjoy the softened noodles as they are. You can keep in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.