Stir-fried Udon with Egg Gravy

I've been in the strangest food rut lately. Completely uninspired to cook so I've been eating a lot of quinoa and sauteed greens lately. But I'm back!

One day, it just hit me, "stir-fried udon noodles would be so yummy!"

But I didn't have a recipe. All I had was memories of shrimp and egg gravy chow fun that my family gets at chinese restaurants. For those of you unfamiliar with egg gravy, it's pretty much what it sounds like, gravy with a beaten egg mixed in to give the sauce a silkier, and richer texture. Udon noodles are similar to chow fun noodles except for the shape. Udon is a long, round Japanese noodle and chow fun is long, flat and typically associated with Chinese cuisine. So in my mind, it had to work.

I did something I rarely do, winged it, no recipe, just went with what felt right. The first time turned out tasty but I needed to try it again to get the portions down so that I could share with my readers.

And the second time? Absolute perfection! Enjoy!

Stir-fried Udon with Egg Gravy
2 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cups of greens, chopped into bite sized pieces (you can use anything green that has a bit of a bite after it's cooked - chinese broccoli, asparagus, bok choy, etc... I had leftover collards so used them in this recipe)
1/2 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp (or any protein)
3 packages of udon

For the gravy
1 TBSP cornstarch + 2 TBSP water, mixed
1/6 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 TBSP oyster sauce
2 eggs, beaten

Heat a tablespoon of evoo over med-high heat in a wok, add the garlic and onions and stir until onions are translucent. Add the greens and cook until wilted.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the udon noodles. These cook very quickly, 3 minutes tops. You'll know that the noodles are ready when they separate from each other. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. (See Fig. 1)

By now the green should be wilted. Add the shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes until the shrimp curls into the shape of a "C". Remove everything from the wok and set aside. (See Fig. 2)

In the same wok, heat another tablespoon of evoo and add the soy sauce, water and oyster sauce. Let the mixture come to a boil. Turn the heat down to med-low and add the cornstarch mixture slowly until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the drained udon to the wok and mix until the sauce coats the noodles. Add the vegetable and shrimp mixture back to the wok and mix everything up. This will be your last opportunity to get the ingredients mixed. Turn the heat to low and add the egg over the noodles and vegetables. Do not stir! (See Fig. 3)

Let the low heat gently cook the egg. You can gently move the noodles over the eggs so that it coats evenly but it should not resemble scrambled eggs. In fact, you shouldn't even be able to tell by looking at the noodles that there are eggs in the dish. Garnish with green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. (See Fig. 4)

Fig. 1 - Udon noodles taking a cold bath.

Fig. 2 - Shrimp is ready.

Fig. 3 - Be gentle, you don't want scrambled eggs.

Fig. 4 - Egg gravy giving the udon and shrimp a gentle hug.