Steps

1. Cut the thinly sliced pork belly (100g) into 1.5cm wide pieces.
   🕒 00:18
2. Julienne the carrot (1/4).
   🕒 00:50
3. Slice the leek (1/2) diagonally (about 4-5mm thick).
   🕒 01:19
4. Cut the green bell peppers (2) into vertical strips, about 7-8mm wide.
   🕒 01:38
5. Trim the stems from the shiitake mushrooms (2-3) and slice them about 5-6mm thick.
   🕒 02:04
6. Place the cut carrots and leeks, and green bell peppers and shiitake mushrooms onto separate plates. This is a key tip! Since the ingredients cook at different rates, separating them makes the cooking process much smoother.
   🕒 02:36
7. Heat the vegetable oil (2 tsp) in a frying pan over medium heat.
   🕒 03:19
8. Once the oil is hot, add the carrots and leeks and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
   🕒 03:25
9. Add all the pork belly and break it apart with chopsticks while cooking until it changes color.
   🕒 03:55
10. Once the pork is cooked, season with salt (to taste) and pepper (to taste).
    🕒 04:33
11. Lower the heat and push the stir-fried ingredients to the back of the pan.
    🕒 04:50
12. Add the boiled udon noodles (2 packs) to the front of the pan.
    🕒 05:02
13. Top the udon with the sliced green bell peppers and shiitake mushrooms.
    🕒 05:16
14. Drizzle the seasoning mixture (soy sauce (1.5 tbsp), cooking sake (rice wine) (1.5 tbsp), sugar (1 tsp), sesame oil (0.5 tsp)) over everything.
    🕒 05:25
15. Return the heat to medium, cover the pan, and steam for 2 minutes.
    🕒 05:35
16. About 1 minute after covering, lift the lid and gently loosen the udon to prevent sticking. Cover again.
    🕒 06:08
17. After 2 minutes, remove the lid and mix everything together.
    🕒 06:29
18. Continue to stir-fry over medium heat until the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the mixture starts to sizzle audibly. This is a key tip! Evaporating the moisture concentrates the flavors and creates a wonderfully savory taste.
    🕒 06:51
19. Once the vegetables are cooked and the liquid is gone, turn off the heat.
    🕒 07:31
20. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the bonito flakes (katsuobushi) (1 pack). For an extra layer of toasted flavor, you can even lightly toast the mixture in the pan until it's just about to burn.
    🕒 07:37