Ready in less than 30 minutes, this Kimchi Udon stir fry with pork is the perfect weeknight recipe or meal prep for the week. Packed with kimchi, onion, pork, and udon noodles and coated in a spicy sauce, you will want to make this noodle recipe again and again.

This recipe shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve followed my blog for a while now. I’m kind of obsessed with the ingredients that this kimchi udon features. Previously, I’ve shared my yaki udon recipe, kimchi fried rice recipe, and crispy pork and kimchi stir fry recipe and this pork kimchi udon recipe combines all of these recipes together!

Overhead view of a plate of kimchi udon with a fried egg and seaweed on top.

Why You’ll Love This Udon Stir Fry

It’s so easy to make. It’s a simple and straightforward recipe that anyone can make. All you have to do is saute everything, add the udon noodles, and then coat it with the sauce! Easy as pie.
This recipe relies on a lot of pantry and kitchen staples so I can whip it up quickly. Hopefully, you have everything too to save you a trip to the store.
Enjoy this kimchi udon on its own or beef it up with a fried egg and a spoonful of roasted seaweed like I do.

Ingredients You’ll Need

udon noodles — I use fresh udon noodles that are sold at the refrigerated section that takes less than 2 minutes to cook. Other options are frozen udon noodles and dried udon noodles. Frozen udon noodles do have a chewier texture for stir-fries if you have access to that.
oil — use your oil of choice. Sesame oil or olive oil works for this kimchi udon.
pork — I use pork shoulder for this but you can use any cut of pork or even ground pork. Bacon can be used in a pinch.
salt — you only need a pinch.
onion — you can use any onion you have on hand. I slice up a small yellow onion.
kimchi — for the best results, aged kimchi is preferred. Aged kimchi has a stronger, more sour taste to it. You’ll also need some of the juices from the kimchi.
gochugaru — aka Korean chili/hot pepper powder.
gochujang — aka hot pepper paste. Keep in mind that they come in different level of spiciness. You can get the super spicy one or mild one depending on your preference.
soy sauce — I recommend using low sodium soy sauce.
sugar — to help balance out the flavours.
water — just a splash is needed.
sesame oil — I finish off the dish with a splash of sesame oil for extra flavour.

How to Make Kimchi Udon

Pan of kimchi udon ingredients stir fried.

Cook the udon according to the direction on the packaging, drain, and set aside until ready to use.
In a large skillet, heat up oil over medium heat, before adding the pork with a pinch of salt.
Saute until the a bit more than half way browned before adding the sliced onions. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the chopped kimchi.

A pan with stir fry ingredients in a pan.

Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes before adding the kimchi juice, gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, and sugar. Continue to saute until everything is well combined.
Add around 3 tablespoons of water to the skillet and let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the cooked udon to the skillet and toss to combine.
Finish off with a drizzle of sesame oil and serve the kimchi udon as is or with a fried egg.

Close up of a plate of kimchi udon with a fried egg and seaweed.

Recipe Tips and Notes

I love to garnish this easy udon noodle recipe with some green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and roasted seaweed. It’s not mandatory but I love how they a little extra flavour to the dish. Furikake is great as well on kimchi udon as well.
Not a fan of fried egg? Top the stir fried udon noodles off with these mayak eggs or a soy sauce egg.
You can also add some corn or peas to the noodles to add a little bit of extra nutrition to the dish.
Aged kimchi provides more flavour to the kimchi udon noodles. Fresh/new kimchi has a little less flavour in comparison. If you don’t have aged kimchi, add a teaspoon of rice vinegar to help add some tanginess to the stir fried noodles.
For the chopped kimchi, I sometimes just grab a pair of scissors and snip the kimchi directly in the measuring cup. This saves me from getting kimchi juice on my cutting board.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: once cooled, store the spicy udon noodles in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat the kimchi udon noodles in the microwave or gently on the stovetop.

Types of Udon Noodles

There are a lot of options when it comes to buying udon noodles. Here are the ones that I usually see in stores.

Shelf Stable Udon Noodles: There are udon noodles that you find on the shelf at the store. It really depends on the brand when it comes to the shelf-stable ones as I find some to have a really strong aftertaste to them. (The first one pictured)
Fresh Udon Noodles: If you can find fresh udon noodles in the refrigerated section. I like using these noodles when possible but they do expire relatively quickly so I can’t stock up on these! I usually have to use them within the week of purchasing them. (The second one pictured)
Frozen Udon Noodles: This one is one of my favourites options if you cannot find fresh udon noodles. As they’re frozen, they can essentially live forever in my freezer and satisfy my cravings whenever I get hit with them! (The third one pictured)
Dried Udon Noodles: Not pictured above but dried udon noodles look similar to dried spaghetti noodles. These are convenient as you store them like you would pasta. However, they’re not my favourite as they’re not as plump and chewy as fresh udon noodles.

All of these noodles are great options. Pick your favourite or most convenient one for this kimchi udon stir fry. It’s meant to be a quick and easy recipe that you can throw together quickly so don’t stress out if you can get a specific type of udon noodles.

Kimchi Udon

5 from 24 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings: servings

Ingredients

450 grams udon noodles
1 tbsp oil
300 grams diced pork, pork shoulder, pork belly, ground pork, or bacon
1 tsp salt
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 cup kimchi, chopped
2 tbsp kimchi juice
1 tbsp gochugaru
1 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
½ tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sesame oil

Equipment

Non-stick skillet

Instructions

Cook the udon according to the direction on the packaging, drain, and set aside until ready to use.
In a large skillet, heat up oil over medium heat, before adding the pork with a pinch of salt.
Saute until the a bit more than half way browned before adding the sliced onions. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the kimchi.
Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes before adding the kimchi juice, gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, and sugar. Continue to saute until everything is well combined.
Add around 3 tablespoons of water to the skillet and let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the cooked udon to the skillet and toss to combine.
Finish off with a drizzle of sesame oil and serve as is or with a fried egg.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Nutrition Disclaimer

More Recipes to Try

Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken (or my double fried Korean Fried Chicken)
Japchae
Korean Cheese Corn
Seasoned Spinach
Silken Tofu Recipe
Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread
Gochujang Chicken

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@carmyshungry on Instagram
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