Ingredients
Method
Prep the ingredients
- Mix the sauce: Mix 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon honey, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon garam masala in a small bowl and set aside. If you’re using yakisoba sauce powder that came with the noodles, mix it with water.
- Cut the veggies: Peel and cut 1 carrot into 0.5cm wide strips, slice ½ onion into 0.5cm thin slices, remove the core of ¼ cabbage, cut into 5cm squares, and separate the layers, especially the hard parts. Crush the thick part of the cabbage core with the palm of your hand. Cut ½ green bell pepper into 0.5cm thin strips along the grain.
- Season the meat: Place 5.3 ounces sliced pork belly in a small bowl and season it with 1 tablespoon sake, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper by rubbing it with your hands. If using rolled sliced meat, straighten them. Then add 2 teaspoons cornstarch and knead the meat. Set aside.
Fry the ingredients
- Cook the meat: Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add oil if your pan isn’t nonstick. Add the pork and fry until the color starts to change, about 1 minute. Then wipe off the excess oil released from the pork.
- Add onions and carrots: (If you’re using optional veggies that cook fast, don’t cook them at this step! We’ll add them at the very end.) Add the onions and carrots and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes until they start to cook.
- Add cabbage and bell pepper: Add cabbage, green bell pepper, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon sake, cover with a lid right away, and steam for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Set meat & veggies aside: Take the meat and veggies out onto a plate and set aside. They should look bright but still be slightly firm.
Fry the noodles
- Clean the pan: Wipe the pan with a paper towel. Don’t turn on the heat yet.
- Coat noodles with oil: Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the pan. Open 2 yakisoba noodles packages and place the noodles on the pan. You don’t need to loosen the noodles yet. ‘Wipe’ the pan with the noodles so both sides get coated with oil.
- Season the noodles: Add 1 teaspoon sake and ½ teaspoon soy sauce over the noodles, making sure both noodles get evenly seasoned.
- Fry the noodles: Turn on the heat to medium-high and fry until both sides become crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Move the noodles around the pan to cook evenly, but don’t loosen them.
Combine everything
- Add sauce and loosen noodles: Turn off the heat and wipe extra oil with a paper towel. Add the yakisoba sauce over the noodles and loosen the noodles with chopsticks.
- Add veggies and steam: Turn the heat to high and add the veggies back to the pan (add quick-cooking veggies at this step too). Cover with a lid and steam for about 1 minute.
- Mix and serve: Mix everything together, and you’re done!
Notes
- (Note 1): Optional veggies: You can add other veggies like bean sprouts and green chives. If you use these, don’t stir-fry them with the other veggies early on! Make sure to add them at the last step when you return the cooked cabbage, onions, and carrots to the pan.
- Ingredients notes:
- Yakisoba noodles: Maruchan’s fresh yakisoba noodles work great. Ramen noodles are a good backup, just boil and drain first.
- Yakisoba sauce: You can use homemade or the packet kind, just dilute the packet sauce with a little water to coat evenly.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Use non-Japanese Worcestershire sauce for this recipe. Shake the bottle before measuring to evenly mix the spices.
- Oyster Sauce: Use vegan or vegetarian oyster sauce for a plant-based version.
- Honey: Substitute with maple syrup for a vegan option. Note that the sauce may have a slightly different thickness.
- Protein: Pork belly is traditional, but beef, chicken, shrimp, or tofu all work. Use fattier cuts for more flavor.
- Vegetables: Cabbage and onion are classic. Bean sprouts, garlic chives, or green onions work well too, just keep veggies around 300g per serving. Skip high-water veggies like tomatoes or cucumbers.
- Garam masala: Optional, but adds warmth and depth. It’s a great shortcut to mimic the spiced flavor of Japanese yakisoba sauce.
- Cooking tips:
- Don’t crowd the pan: Too many ingredients = soggy yakisoba. Use a large pan or cook in batches to keep things crisp.
- Go easy on the sauce
Too much sauce can overpower the dish. We season everything separately, so less is more here!
- Serving suggestions: Yakisoba is a full meal, but you can pair it with miso soup, tamagoyaki, or a fresh salad like goma-ae or cucumber and tomato with ponzu.
- Storage & Reheating: Cool completely before storing. Keeps 2 days in the fridge or 2 weeks in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave, or microwave first then pan-fry for best texture.
