Brunch — stir fried udon & air fried nuggets by W!
Circuit breaker Saturday brunch by W — home stir-fried udon with vegetables + air-fried chicken nuggets. Lockdown home-cooked routine.
Saturday brunch at home — stir-fried udon and air-fried nuggets cooked by W (BB). Circuit breaker really turned BB into the household cook by default, and the weekend brunch became one of the things we both looked forward to.
The spread:
- Stir-fried udon (with vegetables, dark soy)
- Air-fried chicken nuggets
The stir-fried udon was the day’s centrepiece. Thick fresh udon noodles (the vacuum-packed kind from the supermarket, blanched briefly to loosen), wok-fried with cabbage shreds, carrot julienne, sliced shiitake, garlic and a sauce of dark soy, oyster sauce, mirin and a touch of sesame oil. Finished with chopped scallions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
The technique is the test of any stir-fried noodle dish: high heat, fast tossing, vegetables added at the right intervals so they cook through but don’t go limp. BB’s version had proper wok-hei from the searing initial sauté, with the noodles picking up colour and flavour from the sauce as they tossed at the end.
Air-fried chicken nuggets were the side — supermarket bag-of-nuggets, but the air fryer was the lockdown MVP. Crispy outside, juicy inside, none of the deep-fried oil smell, ready in 12 minutes flat. A small ramekin of ketchup and chilli sauce on the side made them dipping-friendly.
Two dishes, one plate each, full home brunch in about 20 minutes from start to plate.
Lockdown brunches turned out to be just as satisfying as the cafe versions, with the added bonus that we ate in pyjamas.
Overall: 4.4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Great brunch by BB — would absolutely keep this in the rotation.
