Fujinomiya Yakisoba (富士宮やきそば)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Iron griddle or wide heavy skillet
• •Long cooking chopsticks or tongs
• •Flat spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Loosen the noodles

   Separate the noodles gently with your fingers before they go near the pan. Fujinomiya noodles are firm and steamed, so forcing them apart over heat breaks them into short pieces. If they feel stiff from the refrigerator, splash them with a spoonful of water and let them sit five minutes while you cut the vegetables.

2. 2

   Crisp the pork

   Heat a wide skillet or iron griddle over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the pork belly and nikukasu, then cook until the pork loses its raw color and the fat scraps smell nutty and crisp at the edges. That rendered fat is part of the seasoning, so let it flavor the pan before the vegetables arrive.

   Nikukasu is not a garnish here. It is one of the marks of the dish, giving small crisp bites and a deep pork richness without burying the noodles.
3. 3

   Cook the cabbage

   Add the cabbage and onion and toss them through the pork fat. Cook for two or three minutes, just until the cabbage turns bright, glossy, and tender at the edges while keeping some bite. If you cook it soft now, it gives up water later and the noodles lose their dry finish.

4. 4

   Steam the noodles

   Set the noodles on top of the vegetables and pour the water around the edge of the pan. Cover for one minute, then uncover and tease the noodles apart with chopsticks or tongs. The brief cover softens the noodles without boiling them, keeping the chew that makes Fujinomiya yakisoba what it is.

5. 5

   Sauce and dry

   Add the yakisoba sauce and soy sauce, then toss steadily until every strand is stained brown and glossy. Keep cooking for another minute or two, spreading the noodles across the pan so excess moisture cooks away. The pan should sound lively, not wet. When the sauce clings and the bottom strands pick up a little color, stop.

   This is the detail that decides it: finish dry. Sauce in the pan means the noodles are being stewed, and stewed noodles have given up their bite.
6. 6

   Finish with dashiko

   Turn off the heat and scatter over the dashiko, tossing once or twice. Add it at the end because its fish aroma is quick and delicate, and hard heat flattens it. Plate the noodles in a modest mound, then finish with aonori, a little more dashiko, and beni shōga at the side.

Chef Tips

• •Use proper Fujinomiya-style steamed noodles if you can find them. If you must stand in with regular yakisoba noodles, choose the firmest fresh noodles available and use less water. Say plainly what changed: the dish will still be good, but the chew will be different.
• •Nikukasu is worth finding at a Japanese market or online. Bacon is not the same thing, because smoke takes the dish in another direction. Crisp pork belly fat is a better stand-in when you need one.
• •Do not flood the pan with sauce. Fujinomiya yakisoba should finish glossy and almost dry, with the seasoning clinging to the noodle. A puddle at the bottom is the cook's confession.
• •Serve it at once. This is griddle food, and the cleanest moment is right after the dashiko meets the hot noodles.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the cabbage, onion, and pork up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.
• •Measure the sauce, soy sauce, and dashiko before cooking. Once the noodles hit the pan, the dish moves quickly.
• •Cook just before serving. The finished noodles lose their spring as they sit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)