Last week one of my friends mentioned that he had made yakisoba for his kids and I immediately started to crave it. I have made it in the past (here with squid, for example) but always out of a kit which contained noodles and a flavor packet. This time, I decided to eschew the chemical laden flavored powder and, after a bit of Internet research, make my own sauce instead. I added lots of veggies too; feel free to use your favorites (though I do think that cabbage is a must in yakisoba).
I didn't have the vibrant red "beni shoga" pickled ginger topping that is usually used for yakisoba as I don't particularly like it, so I substituted "gari" sushi ginger instead. I also did not have aonori seaweed to hand so used a shiso furikake to get an approximation of the salty, funky contribution that aonori makes to the dish. Non-traditional as these substitutions may be, they worked.
End result? I had made a paella pan full and, after I had served myself the bowlful above, L. scarfed the rest. I sent a photo to my friend who felt that I had made a "fancy" version of the dish so I feel myself honor bound to make it for him and his kids in the new year. And, last but not least, I now feel like making paella...
4 portions yakisoba noodles (in fresh or frozen section of your local Asian grocery store. It is important to use yakisoba noodles as they are pre-steamed and ready to be stir-fried)
3 cups chopped cabbage
2 carrots, shaved into strips with a vegetable peeler
8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 cup scallion or spring onion, thinly sliced
2 cups bean sprouts
8 oz thinly sliced pork (also available in Asian grocery stores, often labeled "shabu shabu" or "sukiyaki" pork)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4 tsps oyster sauce
4 tsps ketchup
4 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce
Picked ginger and seaweed or furikake for topping (optional but delicious)
This is one recipe where it is really mportant to have everything prepped and ready to go before getting down to the final assembly, which is quick.
Chop all your vegetables. I quite like different textures in yakisoba so I cut my cabbage into bite sized pieces, shave my carrots, cut the shiitake into strips, thinly slice my spring onion, etc. Set aside.
Make your sauce by combining the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Set aside.
Place all of your noodles in a colander and rinse gently in warm water, separating the noodles with your hand as you do so. Shake to remove excess water and set aside.
Add 1 tsp of the oil to the largest skillet that you have over medium-high heat. I used my paella pan because it was the largest surface that I had and you want your yakisoba elements to get a bit of a sear, rather than all steam together. As soon as the oil starts to shimmer, add your pork in one layer and cook without disturbing for 2 to 3 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and caramelized on the bottom. Lower the heat to medim and remove the pork from the pan. Set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the cabbage. Cook for 2 minutes without disturbing (again, you want a bit of nutty caramelization) and then add the shiitake, the carrot and the onion. Stir to combine and cook for a minute or so until the shiitake has started to soften and the carrot strips to wilt.
Tip in the noodles, add the pork back into the pan, throw in the bean sprouts, and stir to combine well.
At this point, add the sauce and stir gently to combine with the noodles and veggies, making sure that the noodles are each coated in a bit of sauce and that the dish is a homogenous color, not a streaky mess.
As soon as the noodles are heated through, spoon into a serving dish or individual bowls and serve with the toppings of your choice.
10 minutes 32 seconds from start to finish.
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