Authentic Yakisoba Recipes

CHICKEN YAKISOBA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil and sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chicken and garlic in hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir chile paste into chicken mixture; cook and stir until chicken is completely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add soy sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour chicken and sauce into a bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in the skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir cabbage, onion, carrots, and salt in hot oil until cabbage is wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir the chicken mixture into the cabbage mixture. Add noodles; cook and stir until noodles are hot and chicken is no longer pink inside, 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with pickled ginger.

YAKISOBA (焼きそば)

Steps:

• Boil the noodles according to the directions on the package. When the noodles are done, drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water, using your fingers to agitate the noodles. Drain as much water off the noodles as possible by using a dropping motion with both hands and yanking up suddenly. Toss the noodles with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.
• Prep the vegetables and make the sauce by whisking together the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, honey and white pepper in a small bowl.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed frying pan or griddle over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil along with the pork belly or bacon. Fry until the fat from the pork has started to render out.
• Add the carrots, onions, and cabbage and stir fry using two spatulas until the vegetables are vibrant in color and starting to wilt (they don't need to be fully cooked through yet).
• Add noodles and toss with the oil in the pan. If you notice they are sticking, add some more oil directly onto the noodles.
• Drizzle the sauce evenly over the noodles and continue tossing and frying until the noodles are a uniform color and you can smell the sauce starts to caramelize.
• Plate the yakisoba and sprinkle with aonori and benishoga to garnish.

AUTHENTIC YAKISOBA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook soba in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender yet firm to the bite, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add pork and stir-fry with a pinch of salt and pepper, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate, reserving oil in wok. Add carrots, onion, ginger, and garlic to the wok and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add cabbage to the wok and stir-fry briefly, about 1 minute. Add drained soba noodles. Pour in 1/2 the yakisoba sauce and stir-fry until noodles and vegetables are covered with sauce, about 3 minutes. Return pork to the wok. Add additional sauce as desired. Remove from heat.
• Garnish yakisoba with kizami nori and a small pile of beni shoga just before serving.

YAKISOBA

Steps:

• Shredded pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga; see Cook's Note)
• For the yakisoba sauce: Whisk together the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sugar and soy sauce in a small bowl and reserve.
• For the yakisoba: Place the noodles in a bowl, add about 1 teaspoon of the oil and stir to separate.
• Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pork belly and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, onion and carrot and cook until tender but not cooked all the way, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook until almost tender, about 1 minute. Stir in the scallions and cook until slightly softened, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in some pepper.
• Add the noodles to the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Stir to warm and combine the noodles with the vegetables in the skillet for about 30 seconds. Stir in the yakisoba sauce and cook until the sauce is absorbed and distributed, about 1 minute. Plate up and top with the dried green seaweed and pickled red ginger if using.

AUTHENTIC YAKISOBA (JAPANESE STIR-FRIED NOODLES WITH PORK)

Steps:

• If you are using dried noodles, cook them for a few minutes less than the instructed time and pour them into a cullender, rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly so that're not too wet when you fry them.