Udon Bok Choy Stir Fry

This Udon Bok Choy Stir Fry is a quick and easy lunch or dinner to make when you are craving a bit of pasta, but no heavy sauces. With crisp bok choy, tangy teriyaki, and chewy udon noodles, it is a dish made to satisfy.

I fell in love with Udon noodles when Rob and I went to Japan.

During our year living and teaching in Vietnam, we spent about 10 days of our February holiday traveling through Japan in the off season.

Those 10 days felt absolutely magical and we had a hard time coming back to Vietnam after eating our way through the country and enjoying all the comforts of modern life that we were not finding in Ho Chi Minh City.

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Rob and I still talk really fondly about Japan and dream about living there, or at least visiting again, in the future. It was such an easy place to navigate with incredibly kind people, a rich and thriving culture, and delicious things to eat.

A few of our Japan trip highlights:

Taking the last bus of the day to the Tories and having the place almost entirely to ourselves. Since it was closing, we basically ran to the top and back down, thrilled that we were able to get so many pictures without crowds of people in them.

Almost missing our train and literally sprinting through a very crowded train station with our backpacks to make it on time. Navigating a train station in a different language at top speed is one for the record books.

Conveyor belt sushi. We ate at the same conveyor belt location in Tokyo twice because we just had so much fun choosing our menu items as they whizzed by us on the belt. We thought we had eaten a ton, but the locals at the table next to us made our plate stacks look seriously whimpy.

Walking in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. We stayed in an authentic Japanese hotel with mats on the bamboo floors and spent a sunny day wandering around the base of Mt. Fuji. It was stunning and we loved the quietness of the town.

Spending time at the temples. I think what really appealed to me about Japan was the quiet, reverence, and old traditional customs mixed right into the heart of a bustling city. Regardless of the traffic and noise, the temples were like stepping into another world.

Grocery store sushi. While staying at a hostel in Osaka, we swung by a local grocery store to pick up some dinner and rice wine. Apparently if the pre-made sushi has been out for more than four hours, it gets discounted to half price. It was seriously the most delicious sushi Rob or I have ever had.

While this version of Udon Bok Choy Stir Fry is not really Japanese flavored, the thick noodles still allow me to relive some of those wonderful memories of our time in Japan. Not to mention that it is super easy to make and can quickly be thrown together for a fast lunch or a lazy dinner.

I tend to gravitate towards it when I am feeling bored with my usual lunch snack plate or just want to step out of our ordinary Mexican-inspired meals.

This teriyaki sauce is the best Rob and I have ever tried. I found it randomly at Walgreens one night and it was a show stopper for us.

Fair warning, Zoey and William do not love this dish and I have yet to get them to take more than a bite or a head turn. I am not sure if it is the thicker noodle or the bok choy. They usually love teriyaki in chicken and vegetable stir frys, so I know it is not the flavoring. You are welcome to try it with your toddler, but I recommend having a backup plan, or just being prepared for them to avoid eating it.

A few recipe variations to consider:

You do not have to saute the Udon Noodles in with the bok choy and mushrooms. To save time, you could just mix them all together.
I have not tried this meal reheated, but would imagine the noodles getting a bit soggy. If you do try it as a meal prep meal, please let me know how it turns out!
I keep it vegetarian, but you could add chicken for an additional protein boost. Just be sure to cook your chicken first and add some extra teriyaki to flavor it.
If you are not a fan of bok choy, or cannot find it, substitute with spinach.
The sesame seeds and sesame oil are completely optional.

Kitchen items I used to make this meal: