This Easy Kimchi Udon Bowl is an easy and healthy meal that can be made in under 20 minutes! This rice bowl is flavorful and nutritious, thanks to the beets, tofu, and hearty udon noodles. Plus, this main dish takes the flavor of the classic Korean fermented kimchi, giving it a spicy and sour flavor that totally powers the dish. While I’m no expert on Korean food, I really appreciate this beautiful plant-based food tradition and used several traditional ingredients in this recipe. If you want to learn more about this traditional diet, check out the work of my friend and colleague Maggie Moon, a Korean-American food and nutrition expert.
Try this easy kimchi udon bowl that’s completely vegan! If you don’t have beets, you can substitute any hardy green vegetable, such as spinach, kale, or mustard greens. How about udon and soba noodles in this recipe? While you can easily substitute soba noodles for udon noodles, the main difference is that udon noodles are made from wheat and are generally a softer, thicker noodle, while soba noodles are made from buckwheat and are slightly thinner .
Nutrition Notes
This easy noodle bowl recipe is packed with nutrients, featuring tofu, veggies, kimchi, and udon noodles. You’ll get a good source of plant protein, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals in this dish in your bowl. Another benefit of this nutritionally balanced meal is that it contains fermented foods like sauerkraut, which is a very healthy addition to your diet and promotes a healthy gut microbiome, thereby boosting your immune system and digestive health . This recipe does contain gluten, but you can make it gluten-free by swapping the rice or soba noodles for udon noodles.
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish using napa cabbage or Korean radish and seasonings such as gochujang, scallions, garlic and ginger. How to eat kimchi? What to eat with kimchi? Kimchi is often used as a complement to soups and stews and is delicious as a condiment in a variety of recipes including dumplings and rice. How does kimchi taste? It has the sour taste of fermentation, as well as the spiciness of the ingredients in the kimchi recipe. Where can I buy kimchi? I can now find it in most well-stocked supermarkets and you can definitely find it in Asian markets too. It is stored in the refrigerated section.
Step by step guide:
describe
Kimchi brings a healthy kick to this easy vegan udon bowl, packed with the delicious flavor of udon noodles, beets, veggies, and tofu. It will be ready to serve in 20 minutes. Swap the noodles for gluten-free rice or buckwheat noodles to make them gluten-free.
- 1 (9.5 oz) packaged udon noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 Celery stalks, sliced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 (15 oz) package extra firm tofu, diced
- 1 cup Canned light coconut milk, stir well
- 3 tablespoons Low Sodium, Gluten Free Soy Sauce
- 1 Small bunch Swiss chard, sliced
- 1 cup Prepare spicy kimchi, chopped*
- ¼ cup peanut
Decoration (optional):
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions (do not overcook). Rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a pan.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, ginger and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and continue frying for about 7 minutes, until tender.
- Add tofu, coconut milk, soy sauce, Swiss chard, kimchi, peanuts and cooked and drained noodles. Saute for 2 minutes more, until beets are wilted but still bright green and mixture is heated through.
- Garnish with chili oil and cilantro if desired.
- Makes 6 servings (about 1 2/3 cups each).
notes
*Look for prepared kimchi in the refrigerated section of specialty markets like natural food stores and Asian supermarkets.
To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute a gluten-free noodle, such as rice flour.
Learn how to press tofu here.
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 13 minutes
- category: main course
- gourmet food: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving size: 1 2/3 cup
- Calories: 323
- sugar: 3 grams
- sodium: 366 mg
- fat: 13 grams
- Saturated fat: 4 grams
- carbohydrate: 38 grams
- fiber: 3 grams
- protein: 15g
Keywords: Vegan Asian food, Vegan Asian recipes, Vegan Asian dinners
For more noodle dishes, check out some of my favorite noodles:
Thai Tofu and Vegetable Noodle Bowl
Thai Tempeh Noodle Skillet
Vegan Tofu Pho
Soba Seaweed Salad
Easy Soba Noodles with Peanuts and Gluten
Shirataki Noodle Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing
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