{"id":40087,"date":"2024-03-11T00:05:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T07:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=40087"},"modified":"2024-03-10T22:06:59","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T05:06:59","slug":"yakisoba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/yakisoba\/","title":{"rendered":"Yakisoba"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saucy, noodle-y, and full of umami, yakisoba is a hearty, all-in-one dish that is absolutely delicious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Japan, when you go to a festival, whether it\u2019s in the spring, summer, fall, or winter, there will inevitably be a yakisoba stand. Neat little piles of yakisoba will be waiting on a giant grill top to be scooped up into containers and handed over to you with a pair of wooden chopsticks. For me, no Japanese festival is complete without slurping up steaming hot, delicious, umami filled yakisoba. I miss living in Japan so much it hurts. When it gets to be too much, I whip up a batch of yakisoba and Mike and I sit on our balcony and eat yakisoba in the fresh air and reminisce.<\/p>\n

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What is yakisoba?<\/h2>\n

Yakisoba, literally \u201cfried noodles\u201d in Japanese, is a classic noodle stir fry dish that\u2019s one of Japan\u2019s best known noodle dishes, next to ramen, soba, and udon. It\u2019s a well-loved street food, both made at home and served up in restaurants. If you love fried noodle dishes, you\u2019ll love yakisoba.<\/p>\n

Contrary to the name, yakisoba is not actually made with soba noodles. Yakisoba is a Japanese take on Chinese noodles and is typically made with precooked wheat noodles that you can find at the grocery store. They\u2019re labeled \u201cyakisoba noodles\u201d at the store.<\/p>\n

Yakisoba is extremely easy to make and you can add any ingredient you heart desires. Classic is pork and cabbage, but if you\u2019re skipping out on meat, you can easily substitute in more vegetables or add tofu as the protein. It\u2019s the perfect quick meal and great for dinner and meal prep!<\/p>\n

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How to make yakisoba<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Make the sauce.<\/strong> Mix together Japanese Worcester sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and a bit of sugar.<\/li>\n
  2. Prep.<\/strong> Chop all your vegetables and slice your protein into bite sized pieces. Loosen up the noodles.<\/li>\n
  3. Cook.<\/strong> Heat up a bit of oil and cook the protein and vegetables.<\/li>\n
  4. Toss.<\/strong> Add the noodles and sauce and toss until the sauce coats all the noodles and everything is glossy.<\/li>\n
  5. Enjoy.<\/strong> Top with seaweed and ginger and enjoy hot!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    What kind of noodles do you use for yakisoba?<\/h2>\n

    In English soba always implies buckwheat noodles but the noodles used for yakisoba are not buckwheat at all, they\u2019re actually mushi chukamen, which means steamed Chinese style noodles (\u201cmushi\u201d means steamed, \u201cchuka\u201d means Chinese, and \u201cmen\u201d means noodles). They\u2019re very similar to ramen noodles because they\u2019re made with water, flour, and kansui – an ingredient that helps with noodle texture and color. When you buy yakisoba noodles at the store, they come pre-steamed so you just quickly reheat them in sauce.<\/p>\n

    What brand of yakisoba noodles?<\/h2>\n

    There are two popular brands of yakisoba noodles: Myojo and Maruchan. They come steamed, coated in oil, and packed into individual servings. You can find them in the refrigerated section of most Asian grocery stores. If you can\u2019t find yakisoba noodles, you can also use fresh ramen noodles, dried instant ramen packs without the seasoning, or chow mein noodles. They all work great!<\/p>\n

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    My favorite noodles for yakisoba<\/h2>\n

    I like to use steamed Chinese noodles for yakisoba. The packages of yakisoba noodles from Japan are super convenient but the noodles tend to break. Since yakisoba is a take on Chinese noodles, I prefer to use Chinese cooked noodles or lo mein noodles<\/a>. Essentially they are mushi chukamen, steamed Chinese noodles. You can find these in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores, they\u2019re usually labelled \u201ccooked noodles,\u201d \u201coil noodles,\u201d or \u201clo mein noodles.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Yakisoba sauce<\/h2>\n

    Yakisoba sauce consists of Japanese Worcester sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and a bit of sugar. I usually just mix it up at home, but they sell yakisoba sauce as well, in a convenient squeeze bottle. You can find it online<\/a> or in Asian grocery stores.<\/p>\n

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    Japanese Worcestershire sauce<\/h2>\n

    Japanese Worcestershire sauce is almost like Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce, but made completely differently. Typically called \u201csosu\u201d (\u30bd\u30fc\u30b9), Japanese Worcestershire is a sweet, savory, tangy sauce made from fruits, vegetables, sugar, and spices. It tastes vastly different from Worcestershire sauce. You can buy Japanese Worcestershire sauce online or in Asian grocery stores. The most popular sosu producer in Japan is Bull-Dog and they produce 3 main types of sauce, differing mostly on thickness. For yakisoba we need thin, or usuta sauce.<\/a><\/p>\n

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    Oyster sauce<\/h2>\n

    Since yakisoba is a Japanese version of a Chinese dish, they use oyster sauce as a seasoning. Oyster sauce is a classic Chinese sauce that\u2019s thick and savory with a hint of caramel sweetness and umami. You can buy it online<\/a> or the Asian grocery store. It adds an extra oomph to your yakisoba.<\/p>\n

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    Meat<\/h2>\n

    Thinly sliced pork belly is the Japanese meat of choice, but you can also use thinly sliced beef, cubed up chicken, or firm tofu. They sell thinly sliced pork belly in the frozen section at Asian grocery stores but if you\u2019re looking for a handy substitute, you can use side pork cut into bite size pieces or even bacon if you like it a bit smokier. You can also use chicken, which is just as traditional.<\/a><\/p>\n

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    Vegetables<\/h2>\n

    Cabbage is classic, along with onions and carrots, but you can really go wild and use any and all vegetables. Mushrooms are great and shredded kale is amazing. Just make sure to cut the vegetables into bite size pieces.<\/p>\n

    Yakisoba toppings<\/h2>\n

    After your noodles are hot and crisp, it\u2019s time to serve it up and add on the toppings!<\/p>\n