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Authentic Yakisoba Recipe Japan, Asia
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
The Japanese fast food staple, yakisoba is a simple-to-make stir-fry prepared with noodles, thinly sliced pork, vegetables like carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, onion, and mushrooms, and a special yakisoba sauce. The noodles are cooked or rehydrated then mixed with thinly sliced pork and vegetables that have been stir-fried. Once the noodles have been cooked a bit, the entire dish is poured over with the sauce, and everything is thoroughly mixed until well-coated. For serving, yakisoba is garnished with either aonori (seaweed powder), beni shōga (shredded pickled ginger), katsuobushi (bonito fish flakes), or Japanese-style mayonnaise before serving. Also, a sunny side up egg can be placed on top. If yakisoba is served in a bun, we are talking about yakisoba-pan, which is equally as popular.
Cooking tips
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method
When preparing yakisoba, one thing to keep in mind is to stir-fry vegetables starting from the hardest to the softest one, because the harder vegetables need more cooking time. -
meat
The meat of choice for this dish is pork, typically pork belly, but you can also use beef, chicken, seafood, or tofu. -
how to get thinly sliced meat at home
Thinly sliced beef and pork are used in many Japanese dishes. Japanese grocery stores sell packets of thinly sliced meat, but if you don’t have one nearby, here’s how to make thinly sliced meat at home. First, place the meat you wish to slice into a plastic bag, then seal the bag, making sure it’s sealed airtight. Next, place it on a tray and freeze for about 2 hours for one pound (half a kilo) of ... Read more -
yakisoba sauce
Pre-made yakisoba sauce can be purchased at Japanese grocery stores, but making one from scratch is the best way to go. Homemade yakisoba sauce is made by mixing Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar, but tonkatsu sauce and mirin can also be used to make this sauce. If not using Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce, it may be needed to add more sugar than ... Read more -
yakisoba noodles
In Japan, special yakisoba noodles are available for purchase. These are pre-cooked, but it might be a good idea to wash them under hot water to remove as much starch as possible and separate the noodles before adding them to the pan with vegetables. However, some recipes instruct to add the noodles immediately to the pan with vegetables and brown them a bit on both sides before stirring them with ... Read more -
yakisoba-pan
When making yakisoba-pan, first, it’s important to butter the insides bun because that will prevent the bun from turning soggy quickly. Second, for the same reason, typically no vegetables are added, just the yakisoba noodles are stir-fried and mixed with yakisoba sauce unless the yakisoba-pan is to be eaten immediately.
Yakisoba
PREP 10min
COOK 20min
READY IN 30min
This recipe gives instructions on preparing the classic yakisoba — the sauce, the vegetables, the meat, and the noodles. The first step is to make the sauce which needs to be the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and salty. Next, the pork belly and the vegetables are stir-fried, and the washed noodles are added next, followed by the sauce. It's a simple, easy-to-follow recipe and a hard-to-mess-up dish. One thing to keep in mind is to add the vegetables in the order as instructed, as some need to cook longer than others.
Ingredients
½ onion
1 carrot
3 shiitake mushrooms
2 green onions/scallions
4 cabbage leaves
¾ lb (340g) sliced pork belly (or your choice of meat/seafood/mushrooms/veggies)
2 tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc)
freshly ground black pepper
3 servings yakisoba noodles (one package comes with 3 servings, 16-17 oz or 454-480g pre-steamed noodles)
4-6 tbsp yakisoba sauce (recipe below)
YAKISOBA SAUCE
4 tbsp Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce (if you use a non-Japanese brand, add more sugar)
4 tsp oyster sauce (if you're allergic to shellfish, or if you're vegetarian, use vegetarian stir-fry sauce)
4 tsp ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar (add more sugar, if needed)
TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)
aonori (dried green seaweed)
pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga)
Preparation
Step 1/8
First, make the yakisoba sauce. Mix all the listed ingredients in a small bowl. Taste to see if it needs more sugar, and add if required. See, depending on the brands, some ketchup is sweeter than others, while some Worcestershire sauce is sourer than others.
Step 2/8
Next, prep the ingredients. Slice the shiitake mushrooms and the onion, and julienne the carrot. Cut the onion into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces and chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Cut the pork belly slices into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
Step 3/8
Add the oil to a frying pan or a wok and heat over medium-high heat.
Step 4/8
Add the pork belly and stir-fry until no longer pink. Then, add the onion and the carrot and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the cabbage and stir-fry until tender. Finally, add the shiitake mushrooms and the green onions and stir-fry for a minute, then season with freshly ground pepper.
Step 5/8
Place the yakisoba noodles in a colander and pour them over with hot water. Then, separate the noodles with your hands and add them to the vegetables.
Step 6/8
Lower the heat to medium, then with tongs, mix the noodles with the vegetables, taking care that the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the pan/wok.
Step 7/8
Pour in the yakisoba sauce (add more if needed) and stir with tongs to coat evenly.
Step 8/8
Divide between plates and top with pickled red ginger and dried green seaweed, if desired.
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