Stir-Fried Udon

Ingredients

• 2 sp vegetable oil
• 4 cups chopped green cabbage
• (from about ¼ medium head)
• 2 instant udon noodles (7oz packages)
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 8 oz ground pork/fish cakes
• 5 scallions, white and pale-green parts coarsely chopped, dark-green parts thinly sliced
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch knob)
• 1 tsp crushed chili pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 sp toasted sesame seeds

steps

1. Heat 1 sp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cabbage and cook, tossing often, until edges are browned (~4 min). Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, tossing often, until thickest parts of cabbage leaves are tender (~4 more min). Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Place udon in a large pot and cover with 6 cups boiling water. Let sit 1 min, stirring to break up noodles, then drain in a colander. Transfer noodles back to pot and toss with sesame oil. Transfer cabbage to bowl with noodles.
3. Heat remaining 1 sp. cooking oil in the same skillet over medium-high and add pork. Cook pork, undisturbed, until underside is brown (~3 min)(The pork will never brown if you’re fussing with it the whole time). When pork is browned, break up the meat into small bits. Cook until there’s no more pink (~1 minute). Add chopped scallions, ginger, and red pepper. Continue to cook, tossing often, until scallions are softened and the bottom of the skillet has started to brown (~1 min).
4. Add udon mixture and soy sauce and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are coated in sauce (be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any browned bits), about 45 sec. Remove from heat and fold in 1 sp. sesame seeds and dark-green parts of scallions.

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