Tired of the same old stir-fry? Try this easy sweet and savoury Soy Sauce Braised Udon!
If you’ve tried and loved Telur Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Fried Eggs), then you are going to LOVE this udon stir fry dish! I was really craving some soy sauce eggs one day, but I was too lazy to cook up some rice. I did have udon though – and that’s how Soy Sauce Braised Udon came about!
Why you will LOVE Soy Sauce Braised Noodles
- QUICK & EASY: This is a one-pan noodle dish with minimal ingredients.
- PERFECT combo of SWEET & SALTY: Kicap Manis does all of the seasoning work for you!
What is Soy Sauce Braised Udon?
This Soy Sauce Braised Udon or Udon Masak Kicap is a dish made with udon noodles and a sauce made primarily with soy sauce (kicap in Malay), along with other ingredients such as onions, garlic, and chillies. I like to add an egg too as an ode to the original Telur Masak Kicap. Telur Masak Kicap is a comfort food for Malay households in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
What is Kicap Manis and what are alternatives for it?
Kicap manis is a sweet soy sauce that is commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, especially in Indonesian and Malaysian dishes. It is also one of my FAVOURITE condiments of all time! My go-to brands are Habhal’s, ABC or Bango. It is made from soybeans, wheat, sugar, salt, and water, and has a dark brown colour and thick, syrupy consistency. Kicap manis has a sweet and savoury flavour and is often used as a marinade, dipping sauce, or condiment for grilled meats, stir-fries, and rice dishes.
Easy alternatives would be dark soy sauce used in Asian cuisine, such as this Lee Kum Kee Dark Soya Sauce. Dark Soy Sauce would be a watery consistency, but there is actually a caramel dark soy sauce version which is a much thicker consistency like Kicap Manis. It is not as common as dark soy sauce, but it would be a closer match to Kicap Manis. The difference is MINIMAL though, so just go with dark soy sauce if that’s what’s available to you!
The sweet and salty is what makes this sauce so beloved but if you want a less sweet sauce, add light soy sauce. In fact, this is what I do! I would add a 1:1 ratio of dark soy sauce to light soy sauce.
If you cannot find kicap manis or would like to try an alternative, apparently you can try making your own by combining regular soy sauce with brown sugar or palm sugar in a 2:1 ratio. I personally have not tried this (kicap manis is SO easily found here), but let me know the results if you do!
What Ingredients do you need to make Soy Sauce Braised Udon Udon Masak Kicap?
- Udon Noodles: I use fresh noodles that come in blocks. Frozen udon noodles are also an option. With frozen noodles, you will need to cook it prior, according to packet instructions.
- Kicap Manis or Dark Sweet Soy Sauce
- Water or unsalted Stock
- Onions
- Garlic
- Chillies: I used a combination of red and green bird’s eye chillies, but you can use any chillies of your choice. Typically they are chopped, but to minimise the heat, I only chopped the chillies in half. To your preference and spice tolerance!
- Cornstarch Slurry (optional): This will help thicken the sauce, but completely optional!
- Makrut Lime Leaves (optional)
- Lime Juice (optional)
- Fried Egg: You can poach your eggs right in the sauce, but I like to do this as an ode to the original Telur Masak Kicap dish!
How to make Soy Sauce Braised Udon?
1. Make the Soy Sauce
Saute onions, garlic and chillies until fragrant, before adding the dark soy sauce or kicap manis. Stir fry to flavour the kicap manis, before adding optional makrut lime leaves for more fragrance. Make sure to bruise or tear leaves before adding to pan. Add water or stock next and allow sauce to come up to a boil.
2. Braise the Udon Noodles
Once sauce is boiling, add udon noodles. I used fresh udon noodles here that you can simply add in without pre-cooking. Gently wiggle the noodles loose, before combin If using frozen udon, make sure to cook according to packet instructions.
3. Optional: Add a Fried Egg in the Sauce
Once noodles are cooked through, udon is ready! I like to add a fried egg in the middle and let the crispy fried bits soak up the kicap manis. You can also just crack an egg in the middle, and let it cook if you don’t want to fuss with an additional cooking step.
Before serving, squeeze lime juice in for an extra fresh zing.
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Soy Sauce Braised Udon | Udon Masak Kicap
1
servings5
minutes10
minutesIngredients
1 serving or 200g fresh udon noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 small red chili, chopped
2 tablespoons dark sweet soy sauce or kicap manis
2-3 makrut lime leaves (optional)
1/2 cup water or stock
Cornstarch slurry or 1 tsp cornstarch (or corn flour) to 1/2 cup water
1 Fried Egg
Lime wedges, to serve
Directions
- Heat the oil in a wok or pan over medium heat.
- Add the garlic, onion, and red chili, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the kicap manis next. Option to add makrut lime leaves. Tear or bruise the leaves before adding to pan.
- Once kicap manis starts bubbling, add water or stock. Stir to combine.
- Add udon noodles. If in a block, gently loosen the strands with tongs. Stir to combine with the sauce until udon noodles are slightly softened to cook.
If using frozen udon noodles, you will need to cook the noodles beforehand, drain and set to one side. - Add cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce. Before pouring in cornstarch slurry, stir slurry in case the cornstarch has separated from the liquid.
- Add a fried egg, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Serve hot with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of kicap manis and soy sauce to your taste preference. Some people prefer a sweeter or saltier taste, so feel free to experiment with the ingredients.
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