yaki udon

{{short description|Japanese fried noodle dish}}

{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Yaki udon

| image =

File:Yakiudon-tako.jpg

| caption =

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| country = Japan

| region = Fukuoka Prefecture

| creator =

| course =

| type = Japanese noodles

| served =

| main_ingredient = Noodles

| variations =

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}}

{{nihongo|Yaki udon|焼きうどん||"fried udon"}} is a Japanese stir-fried dish consisting of thick, smooth, white udon noodles mixed with a soy-based sauce, meat (usually pork), and vegetables. It is similar to yakisoba, which involves a similar stir-frying technique using ramen-style wheat noodles.{{Cite book|url=http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=790800|title=The everything rice cooker cookbook|last=Tay|first=Hui Leng|date=1 January 2010|publisher=Adams Media|isbn=9781440502347|location=Avon, Mass.}} Yaki udon is relatively simple to make and popular as a staple of Japan's izakaya, or pubs, eaten as a late-night snack.{{Cite book|title=Hiroko's American kitchen: cooking with Japanese flavors|last1=Shimbo|first1=Hiroko|last2=Janisch|first2=Frances|date=1 January 2012|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=9781449409784|location=Kansas City, Mo.|oclc = 783154880}} The dish originated in Kokura, in southern Japan, after the Pacific War. The widely accepted story of how the dish was created dates back to just after World War II, when food was scarce. The owner of the noodle restaurant Darumado used udon noodles in popular yakisoba preparations, because the proper noodles were not available.