Stir-Fried Udon with Bacon, Parmesan & Gochujang
Ingredients
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 slices of thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/4-inch strips or lardons
3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced (reserve 1 tablespoon scallion greens for garnish)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochujang
2 blocks frozen udon noodles
1/2 cup reserved udon cooking water (you will not be using this all)
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 pinch kosher salt (optional) and coarsely ground black pepper (not optional), plus more to taste
Directions
Bring a medium pot filled with water to boil for the udon.
In a skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the bacon, scallions, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Let the bacon fat render slowly and saute all until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Monitor the heat and lower it if it browns too quickly.
In the meantime, in a medium or large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks. Add the cheese, pinch of salt and coarsely ground pepper (at least 8 to 10 turns). It will look like a paste at this point, but the udon cooking water will loosen it up shortly. Set aside.
Lower the skillet’s heat to low. Add the soy sauce and gochujang and "fry" in the bacon's oil. Coat the bacon mixture with the gochujang.
Cook udon noodles according to package instructions (usually 45 to 60 seconds). They are already cooked, so you are just warming them through and gently releasing them from their caked state with tongs or chopsticks. It’s important not to overcook them. Reserve about ½ cup of udon cooking water. Drain in a colander and add the udon noodles to the pan (alternately, you can also use a spider strainer to lift up and drain the udon noodles from the pot and into the skillet—it’s okay to have a bit of the residual water clinging on). Toss until well-combined and udon noodles are coated in the gochujang-bacon sauce. Turn off the heat.
To the mixing bowl with the egg-cheese mixture, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved udon cooking water and mix to form a slightly looser paste. Add the udon noodles and toss until well- combined (you can also add the egg-cheese mixture to the pan that’s off the heat, being careful not to curdle or scramble the eggs). Drizzle in a bit of sesame oil. Season with salt (optional) and pepper (not optional), to your taste. Give it another toss before plating. Top with reserved scallion greens and more coarsely ground pepper, if you’d like. Serve immediately.