Creamy Tom Yum Udon (20 minutes)

This easy Creamy Tom Yum Udon Noodles dish features chewy udon noodles, shrimp, and mushrooms, coated in a creamy, hot and sour tom yum sauce. A simple recipe ready in 20 minutes that’s perfect for quick weeknight meals!

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**Recipe originally published: March 23, 2023, Post updated: October 25, 2024

Welcome to day 4 of my Ramadan 2023 series! Today I’m sharing a recipe that would be a great addition to your weeknight meal roster. Especially since you can put it together within 20 minutes! So buckle up for some creamy tom yum udon noodles with shrimp and mushrooms.

FamilyMart Oden

But first, a back story. When FamilyMart (a Japanese convenience store) opened in Malaysia, they served localized food options alongside their established flavors. So for a hot meal such as oden (which is a Japanese fish cake stew), instead of having just the soy sauce dashi-based broth, the Malaysian branches offer a tom yum soup option as well.

It is so incredibly delectable. A great meal option to warm you up, and I highly recommend it if you’re ever in Malaysia for a visit!

Easy Tom Yum Udon Noodles

Now fast forward to a random day of me thinking to recreate the dish after craving for some of the tom yum oden. But I didn’t have any fish cakes on hand to complete the experience.

However, that inspired me to make this tom yum infused udon noodles dish. I was also looking for a creamy texture, so I added in a bit of coconut milk. It ended up being downright delicious, and I’ve made it countless of times ever since!

It’s a bit like a fusion between tom yum and tom kha ghai because of the coconut milk.

Ingredients You’ll Need

(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)

• Shrimp: Peeled and deveined. Leaving the shrimp tail on or off is up to your preference. I love leaving it on because it gives some extra flavor to the dish.
• Butter: Balances the flavors, and adds to the richness and creaminess of the dish.
• Mushrooms: I used button mushrooms as it’s something that I always have on hand. But you can also use other mushrooms, like oyster, shiitake or enoki.
• Garlic: Aromatics.
• Unsweetened coconut milk: Helps in making the noodle sauce creamy.
• Water
• Sugar: Sugar helps to round out the flavors of the dish.
• Thai Tom yum paste
• Udon noodles: You can usually find udon in dried, fresh, or frozen varieties. Frozen udon has a longer shelf life and quick cooking time (usually 1-2 minutes). I prefer frozen over dried as it has a chewier and bouncier texture once cooked.
• Cilantro: For garnish.
• Chili oil (optional): Here’s my Homemade Garlic Chili Oil, or you can try my easy 5-minute microwave chili oil version.

How To Make Quick and Easy Creamy Tom Yum Udon

1. Soak the frozen udon into water and set aside for later (see notes).
2. Over medium heat, add a bit of oil. Once hot enough, add the shrimp to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove when it’s 80% cooked.
3. In the same pan, add a 1/2 tbsp of butter and mushrooms. Sauté for a few minutes until the mushroom is cooked and browns. Then add 1/2 tbsp of butter and the minced garlic, sauté for another 1 minute.
4. Pour in coconut milk. water, tom yum paste and sugar. Stir until well combined. Drain the udon and add to the pan. Gently stir and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
5. Remove the lid and gently stir until the noodles are coated. Turn heat down to medium low and let it continue simmering for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the shrimp, stir and turn off heat.
6. Serve while hot with chili oil (optional) and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

Notes for Creamy Tom Yum Udon

• Protein & vegetable substitutions: Swap the mushrooms and shrimp with any other veggies or protein that you like.
• Boil noodles: You can also boil the udon noodles for a few minutes instead of soaking it in water. I do this to thaw the udon and the heat from the pan will eventually cook the noodles. However, this method could also cause the udon to break easily which is why you need to be gentle when stirring.
• Tom yum paste amount: Adjust the amount of tom yum paste to your preference and heat level. If you are using less tom yum paste, it might affect the taste so adjust with salt and sugar accordingly.
• Coconut milk substitute: I personally like the flavor that coconut milk adds to this dish. But if you don’t like or don’t have coconut milk, feel free to use heavy cream instead.

More Udon Recipes

• Spicy Peanut Udon Noodle Soup (10 Minutes)
• Chili Oil Miso Udon (15 minutes)
• Easy Curry Udon (20 Minutes)
• 10-minute Spicy Cheesy Udon
• Japanese Inspired Creamy Curry Udon

More Quick Meal Recipes

• Easy Tom Yum Noodle Soup (10 Minutes)
• Easy Scallion Oil Noodles
• Garlic Chili Oil Noodles (10 minutes)
• Easy Hearty Noodle Soup (15 minutes)

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Creamy Tom Yum Udon Noodles (20 minutes)

Easy 20-minute Creamy Tom Yum Udon Noodles. A savory, hot, and sour flavored noodle dish that's perfect for quick weeknight meals.

4.65 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp butter
• 5 button mushrooms sliced
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp tom yum paste
• 2 servings udon noodles
• cilantro for garnish
• chili oil optional

Instructions

 

• Soak the frozen udon into water and set aside for later (see notes).
• Over medium heat, add a bit of oil. Once hot enough, add the shrimp to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove when it's 80% cooked.
• In the same pan, add a 1/2 tbsp of butter and mushrooms. Sauté for a few minutes until the mushroom is cooked and browns. Then add 1/2 tbsp of butter and the minced garlic, sauté for another 1 minute.
• Pour in coconut milk. water, tom yum paste and sugar. Stir until well combined. Drain the udon and add to the pan. Gently stir and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
• Remove the lid and gently stir until the noodles are coated. Turn heat down to medium low and let it continue simmering for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the shrimp, stir and turn off heat.
• Serve while hot with chili oil (optional) and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

Notes

*Swap the mushrooms and shrimp with any other veggies or protein that you like.

*You can also boil the udon noodles for a few minutes instead of soaking it in water. I do this to thaw the udon and the heat from the pan will eventually cook the noodles. However, this method could also cause the udon to break easily which is why you need to be gentle when stirring.

*Adjust the amount of tom yum paste to your preference and heat level. If you are using less tom yum paste, it might affect the taste so adjust with salt and sugar accordingly.

*I personally like the flavor that coconut milk adds to this dish. But if you don’t like or don’t have coconut milk, feel free to use heavy cream instead.

 

Keyword creamy, dinner ideas, easy, easy asian recipe, easy noodle recipe, spicy, thai recipe, tom yum, udon

Did you try this recipe?I would love to know how it went! Please leave a rating, comment down below, or tag me on Instagram @FarahJEats.

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