What is yakisoba?
Yakisoba translates as fried noodles. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with soba made from buckwheat: you fry wheat noodles of the chukamen type, the same kind of noodle as for ramen. In Japan you find yakisoba at street food stands at festivals, in bento boxes and in canteens. The typical toppings include aonori, a powder of green seaweed, and beni shoga. The red pickled ginger adds sourness against the sweet sauce.
Making yakisoba sauce yourself
You can skip the ready-made yakisoba sauce from the Asian grocery store. Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar make a sauce with the same fruity taste in a minute. Instead of Worcestershire sauce, Japanese cooks use a thicker, sweeter fruit sauce sold as chuno or tonkatsu sauce. If you have a bottle of it in the cupboard, replace the Worcestershire sauce and ketchup with 3 tbsp tonkatsu sauce.
Stir the sauce together before you turn on the stove. In the wok there is no time for measuring. The origin and brands of oyster sauce are explained in the article in the kitchen knowledge section. The amounts on the recipe card are enough for 2 servings. For 4 servings, double the sauce and fry in two batches.
Which noodles for yakisoba?
Fresh, steamed yakisoba noodles from the refrigerated section fit best. At an Asian grocery store they usually come in a pack of three with sauce powder, and you do not need the powder. Pour hot water over the noodles and loosen them with chopsticks so they do not stick together in a block in the wok. As a substitute, use dried mie noodles and cook them 1 minute less than the package says. Fresh ramen noodles work the same way. Thick udon are too heavy for yakisoba, and with them and soy sauce you fry yaki udon.
How to get yakisoba right
- High heat: Preheat the wok until the oil shimmers. Over medium heat the vegetables release water, and the noodles cook soft in it.
- Cabbage in two stages: Put the hard leaf ribs in the wok one minute before the tender leaves. Then both stay tender-crisp.
- Toast the noodles: Leave the noodles for one minute without stirring. Where they touch the wok, they get brown toasted marks that carry the flavor after the sauce step.
- Do not overload the wok: A 32 cm wok holds 2 servings. More food cools the wok, and the noodles steam instead of frying.
Variations
- Vegetarian: Replace the meat with shiitake and firm tofu. Classic Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, and oyster sauce contains oyster extract. Use vegetarian Worcestershire sauce and mushroom sauce from the Asian grocery store.
- Shio yakisoba: This light version needs no dark sauce. You season with salt, pepper, a splash of chicken broth and sesame oil, and pour lemon juice over it at the end.
- Omusoba: You wrap the finished yakisoba in a thin omelet of 2 eggs and drizzle ketchup and mayonnaise over it.
What goes with it
A similar version of the same sauce belongs on okonomiyaki, the Japanese cabbage pancake. A fried egg on top turns yakisoba into a quick dinner for the hungry. Against the sweetness of the noodles, put a sour cucumber salad such as sunomono on the table. Fry leftovers the next day in the pan with a spoonful of water.
