This saucy noodle dish is inspired by the mellow comforting curries that are hugely popular in Japan for lunch and dinner. Or so we hear; we’ve still never been but when we get there, we expect a whole lot of curry, just like this. While there are plenty of instant curry mixes out there, we love making this from scratch with a flour-based roux and our all-time hero of curry powders, S&B golden curry powder. These are often on the sweet side, but you can leave out the sugar and it’s still fabulous. Once the sauce is ready it’s as easy as adding cooked udon, bits of sautéed seitan, and crisp veggies.
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh or dried udon noodles
Curry Roux Sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup vegetable broth, purchased or homemade
- 2 teaspoons organic sugar (optional)
Udon Stir-Fry
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 recipe Simple Seitan (here), sliced into thin strips, or about 2 cups of thinly sliced seitan
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 hot red chile pepper, sliced very thinly (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
- ½ pound broccoli florets, sliced into bite-size chunks
- 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
- ¼ cup vegetable broth, purchased or homemade
How to Make It
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Prepare the Udon first
- Cook the udon according to the package directions, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Prepare the Curry Roux Sauce
- Combine the flour and oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture browns to the color of rich caramel and smells toasty, about 8 minutes or less. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala and cook for another minute while stirring constantly. Switch to using a wire whisk, then pour in the vegetable broth in a steady stream. Whisk in the sugar, if using, and cook the roux, stirring constantly, until a thick sauce forms, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Proceed to Stir-Fry
- Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the seitan and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and wipe the pan clean. Add the onion, ginger, and hot chile, if using, and fry for 2 minutes, or until the onion is slightly softened. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until it starts to soften. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until it looks bright green. Now add the seitan strips!
- Return to the udon noodles—if they’re sticking together, rinse with warm water and drain. Add the udon to the stir-fried vegetables, sprinkle with soy sauce, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. It may help to use two large spatulas or extra-large chopsticks (the ones that come with some wok kits) while doing this.
- Whisk ¼ cup of the vegetable broth into the curry roux sauce in the saucepan. Pour the sauce over the udon stir-fry and stir to coat everything completely with the sauce. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is simmering and the noodles are warm. Remove from the heat and serve.