Yakisoba (焼きそば)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Teppan (flat iron griddle), or a large cast-iron or carbon-steel skillet
• •Wide metal spatula
• •Small bowl for mixing the sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the sauce

   Whisk together the Worcestershire-style sauce, chūnō or tonkatsu sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, and black pepper. Taste it from a spoon. It should be sharp, sweet, and a little too strong on its own, because the noodles and cabbage will soften it.

   Bottled Japanese yakisoba sauce is the straight road here if you have it. Use 1/2 cup and skip the sauce blend. The point is a fruity, glossy sauce that clings, not a wet seasoning bath.
2. 2

   Loosen the noodles

   If the noodle packs are tight, warm them briefly in the microwave or pour hot water over them in a colander, then separate them gently with chopsticks. Drain and shake them very dry. You want supple noodles, not wet ones, because water turns frying into boiling and steals the browned edge.

3. 3

   Prepare the vegetables

   Cut the cabbage into broad bite-size squares, the onion into thin wedges, and the carrot into matchsticks. Dry the bean sprouts well. These cuts matter: cabbage needs enough face to brown, carrot needs to cook quickly, and watery sprouts go in late so they stay crisp instead of flooding the pan.

4. 4

   Brown the noodles

   Heat a teppan, flat griddle, or wide heavy skillet until a bead of water flicks away at once. Add 1 tablespoon oil, spread in the noodles, and press them lightly into the pan. Leave them alone for 2 to 3 minutes, until the underside has chestnut patches and smells faintly toasted. Turn and brown another minute, then lift them out.

   This is the first secret. Brown before sauce. Sauce on pale noodles makes them heavy and wet; sauce on browned noodles makes them glossy.
5. 5

   Cook pork and cabbage

   Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and lay in the pork in a loose single layer. Cook until the fat turns glossy and the edges color, then add the onion and carrot. Toss for a minute, add the cabbage, and let it catch a little color before moving it. Add the bean sprouts last, only long enough to brighten and stay crisp.

6. 6

   Sauce and fry

   Return the noodles to the pan and splash the sake or water around the edge to help them loosen. Pour the sauce around the hot rim, not into a cold puddle in the middle, and toss quickly. Press the noodles into the pan between turns and cook until the sauce clings to every strand and no liquid pools underneath.

   If the pan looks wet, keep frying. If the noodles look dry before they shine, add a teaspoon of water. The finish should be lacquered, not soupy.
7. 7

   Garnish and serve

   Mound the yakisoba with a little height on individual plates. Scatter aonori over the top and set a small tuft of beni shōga to one side. The red ginger is not decoration; its sharpness cuts the pork fat and the sweet sauce. Serve at once, or cool briefly and pack the garnishes separately for a picnic.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fresh steamed yakisoba noodles if you can. They are already cooked and lightly oily, made for the griddle. Fresh ramen-style chūkamen can stand in if you boil it just short of done, rinse it, and dry it well. Buckwheat soba is a different dish.
• •Cabbage carries the season here. Spring cabbage cooks quickly and stays sweet; firm winter cabbage wants a thinner cut and a little more time on the pan. Let shun do its work before you start improving things.
• •Use a teppan if you have one, or a large cast-iron or carbon-steel skillet if you don't. If your pan is small, cook two batches. Crowding makes a wet heap, and no sauce can rescue that politely.
• •Beni shōga belongs at the end, bright and sharp. Mix it through too early and it stains the whole pan red and loses its bite. Set it on top and let each mouthful decide how much it wants.
• •For a meatless table, leave out the pork and add sliced fresh shiitake with the cabbage. Use a vegetarian yakisoba sauce or a mushroom-based sauce blend. That is honmono when you cook it honestly, not a compromise.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be mixed up to 5 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Stir it before using, because the sugar settles.
• •The vegetables can be cut earlier the same day. Keep the bean sprouts and cabbage dry and separate so they do not waterlog the pan.
• •For a picnic, cook the yakisoba close to serving time, cool it uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, then pack it in a shallow container with the aonori and beni shōga separate. Keep it chilled if it will sit longer than 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 380g)