Yakisoba

Name: Yakisoba
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tbsp oyster sauce; 2 tbsp ketchup; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tsp sugar; 600 g (1⅓ lb) fresh yakisoba or ramen noodles, or 360 g dried ramen, cooked 1 minute less than packet and drained; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 250 g (9 oz) pork belly or shoulder, very thinly sliced; 1 onion, sliced; 1 carrot, cut in thin matchsticks; 300 g (10½ oz) green or pointed cabbage, cut in 3 cm (1¼ in) pieces; 100 g (1 cup) bean sprouts; fine sea salt and black pepper; pickled red ginger (beni shoga), optional; aonori (seaweed flakes), optional; 2 scallions, sliced

Japanese fried noodles with pork, cabbage and a sweet-tangy sauce

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 20 min
Level: Easy

Yakisoba is the fried noodle of Japanese street festivals and home kitchens: springy wheat noodles, sliced pork and lots of cabbage, glazed in a fruity Worcestershire-based sauce. Making the sauce yourself takes one minute and tastes brighter than the bottled kind.

Ingredients

Sauce

4 tbspWorcestershire sauce
2 tbspoyster sauce
2 tbspketchup
1 tbsplight soy sauce
2 tspsugar

Noodles

600 gfresh yakisoba or ramen noodles (1⅓ lb)or 360 g dried ramen, cooked 1 minute less than packet and drained
2 tbspneutral oil
250 gpork belly or shoulder (9 oz)very thinly sliced
1onionsliced
1carrotcut in thin matchsticks
300 ggreen or pointed cabbage (10½ oz)cut in 3 cm (1¼ in) pieces
100 gbean sprouts (1 cup)
fine sea salt and black pepper

To serve

pickled red ginger (beni shoga)optional
aonori (seaweed flakes)optional
2scallionssliced

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten, soy, fish, molluscs, egg, sulphites
Origin: Japan

Method

Mix the sauce ingredients.
If using packaged fresh noodles, loosen them by rinsing briefly in hot water, then drain well.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the pork, season with salt and pepper and fry until browned and the fat has rendered, 3–4 minutes. 4 min
Add the onion and carrot and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry until wilted at the edges but still crunchy, 2 minutes. 4 min
Add the noodles and toss for 2 minutes, letting them catch a little on the pan. 2 min
Pour in the sauce and add the bean sprouts. Toss until every strand is glazed and the pan is almost dry, 1–2 minutes. 2 min
Serve topped with scallion, pickled ginger and aonori.

Why it works

Ramen-style noodles contain alkaline salts (kansui) that make them firm and springy, so they survive frying without going soft. Adding the sauce last and cooking it until the pan is nearly dry caramelizes its sugars onto the noodles instead of leaving them wet.

Common mistakes

Wet noodles: drain them very well, or they steam and stick.
Too much heat for too long on the cabbage: you want it sweet and still crisp.

Variations

Yaki udon: Use thick udon noodles and a little extra soy sauce instead of the ketchup.
Vegetarian: Replace the pork with sliced shiitake and the oyster sauce with a vegetarian mushroom 'oyster' sauce; check that the Worcestershire is anchovy-free.

Notes

Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovy (fish) and often malt vinegar (gluten). Some fresh yakisoba and ramen noodles contain egg; check the packet. Sulphites only if you add the pickled ginger.