Yokote Yakisoba (横手やきそば)

The egg tells you this is Yokote. Not a sprinkle, not a clever finish, but a soft-yolk fried egg laid over glossy noodles so you can break it at the table. The yolk runs into the sauce and rounds its sweetness, which is why we don't treat it as decoration. It is part of the seasoning.

Yakisoba can make people nervous because it happens quickly in a pan. This one is kinder than it looks. The first secret is not speed, it's order: brown the pork, soften the cabbage, warm the straight noodles with a little dashi, then sauce them only long enough to shine. Sauce too early and the noodles go dull and sticky. Sauce at the end and they stay springy, with nothing hidden under heaviness.

Yokote's version asks for straight, thick noodles rather than the curly steamed noodles many people know. Use them if you can find them. If not, fresh chūka-men, the wheat noodles used for ramen, are the sensible stand-in, rinsed briefly and loosened before they touch the pan. The dish belongs to an everyday table, a comfort bowl from Akita made plain enough for a tired evening and particular enough to be honmono. Put the fukujinzuke on the side. Its sweet pickle snap keeps the whole plate awake.