Asian inspired stir fried udon noodles packed with peppers, shiitake mushrooms and sesame jackfruit! This is an easy way to prepare young jackfruit, a fun plant based meat substitute.  This is a quick, healthy and adaptable udon noodle recipe which can be made as spicy as you like.

Apparently jackfruit is the hot new trend in meatless cooking, which is great because now I can buy it from my online supermarket and not have to seek it out at real, actual stores like the olden days when it was more obscure.

If you haven’t tried jackfruit yet, it’s definitely worth a look. When using it as a meat substitute, we use the unripened fruit, which is sold canned. It resembles the texture of pulled pork and is fairly tasteless so absorbs the flavors it’s cooked in. While it’s often used in BBQ and Mexican style dishes, I decided to try is Asian style. We are going to marinade it in soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, and put it in some stir fried udon noodles.

My photos are not going to sell the idea of jackfruit to you, to be totally fair. But yes, this is what it looks like in unflattering light.

You’ll just have to trust me and all the people of the internet when I say it tastes pretty good.

So we’re going to get some stir fried jackfruit going, and then add some veggies and big fat udon noodles the party and ta da! Dinner is DONE.

And it looks a little more appetizing now.

There’s so much texture and crunch going on in this pan. I used shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage and red peppers, but it’s great with whatever veggies you have lying around. So don’t hold back!

I sourced some legit imported frozen udon noodles for this dish, but previous iterations used whatever noodles I could get my hands on. If you only have rice noodles or ramen noodles, go for it. Most noodles are sold portioned so just use two portions of whatever you have.

Vegan Udon Noodle Stir Fry with Jackfruit

Asian inspired stir fried udon noodles packed with peppers, shiitake mushrooms and sesame jackfruit! This is an easy way to prepare young jackfruit, a fun plant based meat substitute.  This is a quick, healthy and adaptable udon noodle recipe which can be made as spicy as you like.
4 servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
4.67 from 6 ratings
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Ingredients

  • Two portions of udon noodles, see notes
  • 125 g (4.4 oz) shiitake mushrooms
  • ½ head of Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage
  • 1 red pepper
  • ½ a bunch of green onions
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tsp ginger

Jackfruit

  • 1 can of jackfruit
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Sauce

  • 3 Tbsp vegetable broth, or faux chicken broth if you can get your hands on some
  • 1-2 tsp of chili garlic sauce
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 1 tsp of cornflour

Instructions 

  • First, cook your udon noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse, toss a little sesame oil through to stop them sticking.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the sauce in a small bowl: whisk together all ingredients. 
  • Prepare the jackfruit : drain, rinse, and pat dry. In a small bowl, toss with the soy sauce and sesame oil. 
  • Now cook the jackfruit: In a large wok, heat a little vegetable oil to a high heat and stir fry the jackfruit for a few minutes until it is starting to crisp. Once it is ready, put it back in the bowl while you stir fry the rest of the ingredients.
  • In the same wok, heat a little more oil and quickly stir fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and pepper, and finally the cabbage. Stir fry until the cabbage is starting to reduce, and then add the sauce.
  • Cook over a high heat until the sauce is bubbling and then mix the udon noodles and green onions through. Finally, return the jackfruit to the pan and mix through.
  • Serve.

Notes

Udon measurements - 500g / 18oz of frozen udon if you can find that, or around 130g / 4.6g of dried ramen style noodles
Note that jackfruit is used as a faux meat, but it's not a good protein source so if you want to add more protein to this recipe, I'd recommend throwing some cashews in while stir frying your veggies!
Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Course: Main Course
Author: Christine Melanson
Calories: 623kcal, Carbohydrates: 104.2g, Protein: 13.5g, Fat: 15.1g, Saturated Fat: 2.2g, Sodium: 770.9mg, Fiber: 5.2g, Sugar: 24.9g

Equipment

Amazon Basics Cast Iron Wok
Jackfruit on Amazon.com
Jackfruit on Amazon UK