Curry Udon With Broccoli And Avocado

Serves 4

Active time: 30 minutes || Total time: 30 minutes

_{Photo by VK Rees}

This vegan curry udon is in regular rotation in these parts, and the avocado on top is non-negotiable. I can switch up the veggies all I want but the avocado stays.

I just have a thing for cool creamy avocado on hot noodles. Any noodles, any shape, from anywhere. A bowl of ramen with avocado and chili crisp. Linguine tossed with avocado, basil, and lemon. Cincinnati spaghetti with a gorgeous avocado fan. The contrast gets me every time. Hot noodle, cool avocado. Chewy bite, soft creaminess. Salty broth or sauce, that buttery green slice on top. I will never not put avocado on noodles.

This curry udon is one of those crushes turned into dinner. Plump udon, gingery coconut curry sauce, big pieces of seared broccoli, and avocado on top, the cool to the curry’s heat. It’s been a reader favorite for years and I still make some version of it, although probably never the same way twice. Variations for vegetables, noodles, and protein are below if you want to riff.

Why This Recipe Rocks

• 30 minutes from start to dinner. One pan (a wok if you have one), no fancy shenanigans.
• The sauce is gingery and coconutty with just enough heat to keep things lively.
• Cooking the vegetables separately keeps them perfectly seared, never raw, never mushy. It’s a great method to learn if you don’t know it already.
• Everything is swappable. Different vegetables, different protein, different noodles. But not the avocado, keep that. This recipe has been a playground for me for years.

What’s All In This Vegan Curry Udon?

Udon noodles. The thick round dried kind, or fresh vacuum-sealed cooked if you can find them, that makes the recipe even easier.

Broccoli. Cut into bite-size florets so they sear quickly and grab onto the sauce.

Refined coconut oil. The refined kind has no coconut flavor and gives these noodles a ghee-like buttery quality.

Red bell pepper. Sweet, brightly colored, adds a little snap against the soft noodles.

Fresh ginger and garlic. Not powder, the real stuff, minced and aromatic.

Red pepper flakes. Just a pinch for warmth. But you can use the heat of your choice plus add some chili crisp, yum.

Vegetable broth. Flavor built into the sauce.

Coconut milk. Light is fine. Full-fat if you want it creamier.

Tamari. Salty depth. Soy sauce works too.

Avocado. Cool, creamy, mellowing. You already know how I feel about this.

Sesame seeds. Toasted. Or black sesame for the drama. So much flavor and texture in such a tiny package.

On Curry Powder

Instead of a closet full of shoes, I have a pantry full of curry powder. A ridiculous amount. Seven kinds at last count, all slightly different, all justified. The one I grab for this recipe is S&B Oriental Curry Powder, which has star anise, cinnamon, and clove notes that play beautifully with the coconut milk. If you’re using a curry powder without those ingredients (say a Madras or something that just says “curry powder”), add a pinch of cinnamon and a couple of star anise pods to the sauce while it simmers to get where you need to be.

Switch Up And/Or Bulk Up The Vegetables

This recipe is meant to be played with. A few directions I’ve tried over the years:

Shiitake and bell pepper. Skip the broccoli or use half. Sauté 8 ounces thick sliced shiitakes for 5 minutes before the bell pepper. Earthier and meatier.

Bok choy. Baby bok choy halved lengthwise. Toss in at the end so it stays bright green.

Asparagus. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Same timing as broccoli.

Kale or spinach. Wilted in at the end after the sauce comes together.

Roasted sweet potatoes. Small and diced and sprinkled into any of these combinations.

Switch Up The Noodles

Udon is the classic and what gives this dish its plump comfort, but other noodles work.

Soba. Buckwheat, nutty, slightly thinner. Great cold the next day.

Lo mein or chow mein noodles. Springy, holds the sauce well.

Rice noodles. Use the wide flat ones for a similar plump bite. Gluten-free. Use thin ones for a different noodly texture.

Whatever pasta you have. Whole wheat angel hair, fettuccine, even spaghetti. Not traditional but plenty of readers have done it and reported good results.

How To Serve Vegan Curry Udon (And Bulk It Up With Protein)

The recipe as written is a complete meal with avocado on top, but if you want to add protein:

Pan-fried tofu. Cube extra-firm tofu, pan-fry until golden, add at the end.

Tempeh. Sliced and pan-seared before adding to the noodles.

Edamame. Shelled, tossed in at the end. Quickest and easiest.

Chickpeas. A drained can, added with the sauce.

Seitan. Sliced thin and seared, added at the end.

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Vegan Curry Udon FAQ

Why is my sauce soupy? It’s meant to be saucy, more thin gravy than thick stew. The sauce clings to the noodles and pools at the bottom of the bowl, which is what you want with udon. If you’d rather have it thicker, simmer a few extra minutes to reduce, or stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with cold water at the end and let it bubble for another minute.

Can I make this gluten-free? For sure. Use rice noodles instead of udon and stick with tamari instead of soy sauce. The rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Can I make this ahead? Yeah, why not. It won’t be fresh and bright like pictured but it will be a satisfyingly leftover stew that you wouldn’t serve to guests but secretly prefer to eat all by yourself.

How did I end up here? You searched for vegan curry udon, vegan udon recipe, or maybe just looked up what to do with a package of udon noodles and a can of coconut milk. Congrats on your excellent googling.

Curry Udon With Broccoli And Avocado

Isa Chandra

Vegan curry udon with broccoli and avocado, ready in 30 minutes. Plump noodles in a gingery coconut curry sauce with seared broccoli and creamy avocado on top.

5 from 2 votes

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Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 ounces dried udon noodles
• 6 cups broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil divided
• 1 large red bell pepper seeded and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• Big pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 15-ounce can coconut milk light or regular
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 avocado peeled, pitted, and diced
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• Chopped fresh cilantro for serving

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. Boil the noodles according to package directions.
• Preheat a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Sauté the broccoli in 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil and a pinch of salt until nicely seared, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Sauté the red pepper slices in the pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil until seared, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, then mix in the red pepper flakes. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and tamari and bring to a boil.
• Drain the noodles in a large colander. Add the noodles and reserved broccoli to the pan and mix to coat with the curry sauce. Serve in bowls topped with avocado, sesame seeds, and cilantro.

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