Yakisoba

Japanese Soul Cooking

Posted by Creative Publishing international

About

Yakisoba are Japanese-style fried noodles, so what are they doing in this pancake chapter? Tradition, friend. Okonomiyaki joints customarily offer these noodles as a side to the savoury pancakes – both are cooked on a flat-top griddle and use similar season- ings. So who are we to quibble? Yakisoba noodles are like wheat flour ramen noodles but thicker, and they’re steamed. (So you’re frying cooked noodles.) You can find yakisoba noodles in Asian grocery shops (use just the noodles, and throw out the junky instant sauce it usually comes with). You can also boil fresh, regular ramen noodles and achieve simi- lar great results, which is what we do in the recipe below. The secret to yakisoba is stir-frying the noodles and other ingredients with Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce and okonomiyaki sauce, so they all turn out beautifully saucy and loaded with flavour. Feel free to add more of the sauces, too, if you’d like. Yakisoba makes a great side dish, not just with okonomiyaki.

SERVES 4

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You Will Need (11 things)

  • 4 packets Fresh-frozen ramen Noodles
  • 2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
  • ½ medium Spanish Onion , peeled and sliced
  • 225 g Fresh Pork belly, thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 115 g Savoy Cabbage , cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 225 g Mung Beansprouts (moyashi)
  • 125 ml Sake
  • 60 ml Japanese-style Worcestershire Sauce
  • 60 ml Okonomiyaki Sauce or tonkatsu sauce
  • ½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Aonori (powdered nori Seaweed )

Steps (2 steps, 25 minutes)

  1. 1

    To prepare the ramen, fill a large stockpot with water and place over a high heat. Ready 4 large bowls on a work surface. When the water comes to the boil, add the noodles. Stir the noodles for about
    10 seconds, so they separate and cook evenly. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through and tooth- some. When the noodles are ready, trans- fer them to a sieve and cool under cold running water. Set aside.

  2. 2

    Heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan or enamelled cast-iron pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and pork belly and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 min- utes, until the onions soften and the pork turns white. Separate the pork while you cook. Add the cabbage and sprouts and cook, stirring constantly, until the cabbage turns bright green and the sprouts cook through. Add the sake, Worcestershire sauce and okonomiyaki sauce and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the reserved ramen noodles. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid in the pan
    is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the black pepper and the aonori, on the noodles, and serve immediately.