Chicken Yaki Udon

Chicken is, well, chicken; Yaki is short for teriyaki, the sauce which coats everything in this dish; and Udon are the type of noodles, extra thick and perfect for slurping. This is a Japanese powerhouse of a dish with sweet, salty, spicy and tangy notes which dance all over your taste buds!

If you don't fancy making your own teriyaki sauce, you can just use a couple of tablespoons of the pre-made stuff you can find in all supermarkets these days but it's no real hardship and homemade is almost always tastier. If you wanted to make this veggie, you could swap out the chicken for a mixture of meaty mushrooms like shiitake and portobello or even some tofu (and for vegans, leave out the eggs too!)

Chicken Yaki Udon

Serves 4

500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 garlic clove, crushed or grated

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cornflour

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 x 150g packs straight-to-wok udon noodles

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 x 220g pack stir-fry vegetables

5cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp red chilli flakes

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 medium eggs, beaten

Sesame seeds, to serve

Heat the grill to high. Whisk together 1 tbsp of the soy sauce with the honey, garlic, ground ginger, cornflour and rice vinegar. Toss the chicken thighs with the sauce then put on a grill rack set over a baking tray. Grill for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 2-4 minutes until just charred and beginning to soften. Add the chopped ginger and chilli flakes then cook for 1 minute more. Add the noodles together with the rest of the soy sauce (3 tbsp) and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir fry for 2 minutes then pour over the beaten eggs, stirring constantly until just cooked.

Slice the chicken and divide the noodles between bowls. Top with the chicken slices, any resting juices and a good sprinkling of sesame seeds.