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Creamy Cashew Udon With Crispy Mushrooms

Udon with Cashew Cream Black Vinegar PanFried Mushrooms
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman

This may be controversial, but I think cashew cream is better than regular cream in this rich noodle dish. First, the flavor: Cashew cream is delicately sweet with a hint of nuttiness that lends an earthy depth. Next, the texture: Used as a sauce, it has an incredibly silky finish that is creamy without feeling heavy. The whipped consistency clings lovingly around every strand of noodle, and it pairs well with the pan-fried mushrooms, which are golden and crisp and provide pops of umami flavor. The black vinegar and soy sauce topping delivers much-appreciated acidity, heat, and assertive saltiness—you can also use it as a dip for dumplings. —Hetty McKinnon

This is part of our meal planning package, where one recipe can become three quick weeknight meals. Use the rest of your cashew cream to make Broccoli and Cashew Cream Soup or Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas With Herby Cashew Cream.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4 servings

Cashew Cream

1

cup raw cashews

1

garlic clove, coarsely chopped

1

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

Noodles and Assembly

2

Tbsp. black (Chinkiang) vinegar

2

Tbsp. chili crisp or chili oil

2

Tbsp. soy sauce

1

Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

3

scallions, thinly sliced, divided

2–3

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1

lb. oyster, shiitake, crimini, or button mushrooms, torn or cut into bite-size pieces

1

garlic clove, finely chopped

½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

28

oz. fresh or frozen udon noodles

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Cashew Cream

    Step 1

    Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add cashews and let sit until tender, 30–60 minutes.

    Step 2

    Drain cashews and transfer to a blender (preferably high-speed) or food processor. Add garlic, oil, salt, and ½ cup water and purée until smooth.

  2. Noodles and Assembly

    Step 3

    Stir vinegar, chili crisp, soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 scallion in a small bowl to combine; set soy-vinegar sauce aside.

    Step 4

    Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook mushrooms, tossing every minute or so but leaving mostly undisturbed, until mostly golden and crisp, 5–8 minutes, depending on type of mushroom you use (oyster and shiitakes will cook quicker, while crimini and button mushrooms will take a bit longer). Add garlic and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring often and adding another 1 Tbsp. olive oil if the mushrooms are looking dry, 1 minute.

    Step 5

    Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

    Step 6

    Add noodles and cashew cream to pan with mushrooms and cook, stirring and adding reserved cooking liquid a little at a time, until cream is loose and coats noodles. Season with salt and pepper.

    Step 7

    To serve, divide noodles among bowls and generously drizzle each with reserved soy-vinegar sauce. Top with remaining scallions.

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  • Way too intense. The sauce was so cloying it was almost inedible. I thought it would be great but was not!

    • Amberleigh

    • Vancouver Island

    • 12/2/2023

  • Delish! as suggested by others, I served the mushrooms on top and just stirred the cashew cream into the noodles.

    • Kristin

    • NY

    • 11/21/2023

  • Obsessed with this dish. The cashew cream blew me away. I used more than half because of how silky and subtle it was. Served final dish with the shrooms on top instead of mixed in. Will absolutely throw this in our rotation.

    • ash

    • Maryland

    • 11/12/2023

  • Wow this recipe was a win. For those that were disappointed, you may want to give it another go. After reading the reviews i used the cashew cream sparingly and worked it into the noodles along with the reserved water from the boiled noodle pot. I did achieve the right consistency after a sink full of tasting spoons. I love garlic so didn't go sparingly with that, also added a bit of freshly grated ginger. The black vinegar I used isn't aged for very long, it was on the mild side. My vegan guests loved the finished dish. I can't wait to use this cashew cream in other dishes It seems really versatile. I want to try it in a fettuccini alfredo soon. Thanks Hetty for another great dish!

    • SHall Cooks

    • Colorado Rockies

    • 3/6/2023

  • really disappointed. this would have been SO much better just mixing the cashew cream with the mushrooms and then topping the udon with that. this ended up just being a thick glob. vinegar was overpowering in the sauce. would not make this again.

    • Anonymous

    • Denver

    • 2/15/2023

  • Really great recipe. I followed the advice of other commenters and used the mushrooms as a topping rather than mixed into the sauce. I also seared some yuba with the mushrooms to round it out. The cashew cream was the right amount IMO - it thickened when it was heated and clung just right to the noodles.

    • Claire

    • 9/26/2022

  • Scaled the recipe down to make a single serving for myself. It was so flavorful and filling. I didn't quite follow the directions - I mixed the cashew cream with the soy-vinegar sauce, then tossed the veggies and noodles in it, then plated. I used the noodles I had on hand instead of udon, and added some bok choy. I will try it with the cream and soy-vinegar sauce separately the next time I make it, but mixing the two together was so so good.

    • Anonymous

    • San Jose, CA

    • 4/7/2022

  • Ugh, this didn't work and I was so disappointed. The cashew cream was just okay. And the black vinegar overpowered the sauce. The mushrooms got soggy when mixed in. I followed directions, underdid it even, but the udon were too soft. Adding enough water to smooth the cashew cream would have made it a sludge. I was so sad because the reviews made me so excited! But it just didn't come together for me. If you make this, watch the udon. Don't mix in the shrooms.

    • Anonymous

    • 2/9/2022

  • Wow! This was great . This was the first time I’ve ever used cashew cream and it didn’t disappoint her. Also I did it the way Natalie suggested.

    • Ken

    • Boquete Panama

    • 1/5/2022

  • This was delicious. I only used half the cashew cream and froze the rest. I’d recommend not mixing the noodles and cream into the fried mushrooms, but instead just mixing the cream, noodles and cooking water until you get the right consistency and serve the mushrooms on top.

    • Natalie

    • Sydney

    • 12/19/2021

  • Delicious. Used 1/2 of the cashew cream, that was plenty. Added some togarashi with the mushrooms. A little bit of spice was nice.

    • CookinVT

    • Vermont

    • 12/12/2021

  • I was so looking forward to a mushroom-forward dish with an interesting sauce that I hadn't even realized it was vegan until about half way through cooking! The chili-soy-sesame sauce is our new go-to dipping sauce for almost any Asian dishes, and the cashew cream has made me rethink a few other recipes in our regular rotation. While it's been a while since I've needed a delicious beyond all reason vegan dish in my dinner party repertoire, this recipe has given me the excuse I needed to make some.plans.

    • Gwyn W.

    • Frederick, MD

    • 10/25/2021

  • This dish sounds incredible, however, for those of us that have nut allergies, what would be a good replacement for cashew cream?

    • Dori

    • Connecticut

    • 10/4/2021

  • This dish was amazing! The star of the show was definitely the black vinegar soy sauce concoction, I did end up my own black vinegar as I didn’t find any near me. I used one part fine balsamic vinegar, one part rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) and three parts water. The only thing I would do differently would be the plating. I wouldn’t stir the noodles into the mushroom and sauce, instead I would top the mushrooms over the noodles so that they keep their crisp, maybe add thin pieces of cucumber as well for a nice crunch. Love this recipe and will be adding to my rotation of dinners

    • Nina

    • Los Angeles

    • 9/29/2021

  • Should I remove the stems of the mushrooms before I cook them? Or should I tear the whole mushroom into pieces?

    • Anonymous

    • Boston, MA

    • 9/21/2021