Today, let’s make yakisoba, one of the most iconic Japanese street food. It’s a super simple stir-fried noodle dish, so you can almost find it everywhere on the streets of Japan. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not great. Once you slurp these noodles, you’ll find yourself making this dish over and over again. I guarantee it.

Yakisoba (2 servings)

Ingredients:

7 oz (200g) thinly sliced pork belly (or chicken, shrimp, firm tofu)
2 cabbage leaves, about 3.5 oz (100g) in total
1/2 yellow onion
3-4 white button mushrooms (or shiitake mushrooms)
1/3 carrot, about 2 oz (60g) in total
1-2 green onions, divided
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp (4g) grated ginger
2 servings cooked yakisoba noodles (or udon, spaghetti noodles, etc.)
1 tbsp neutral-tasting oil (such as grape seed, avocado, vegetable oil, etc.), divided
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp mirin

Options for Topping:

Dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
Aonori seaweed
Japanese red pickled ginger (beni shoga)

Instructions:

PREP INGREDIENTS

1. Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces.

2. Cut the cabbage leaves into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the onion and mushrooms. Julienne some carrot. Make sure it’s nice and thin.

3. Thinly slice the white parts of the green onions and cut the green parts into long strips. Finely chop the garlic cloves and grate a small knob of ginger, about 1 teaspoon.

4. Make the sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small container and mix well.

PREP NOODLES

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Put the noodles in boiling water and gently stir them around so that the noodles can separate. Drain and give them a quick rinse. Put them in a bowl.

2. To prevent the noodles from sticking, add 1 teaspoon of neutral oil and toss together.

MAKE YAKISOBA

1. To a wok (or pan), add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Heat it over medium-high heat. Once it gets nice and hot, add the pork in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes or until no longer pink.

2. Add the white parts of the green onions, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the cabbage, onion, carrot, mushrooms, and the rest of the green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the veggies soften up a little bit. Remove them from the wok and set them aside.

3. Place the same wok over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Once heated, place the noodles and spread them out. Let them sit for 2 minutes or until the noodles are browned and crisp up a little bit. Flip and gently separate the noodles using tongs or chopsticks.

4. Add half of the sauce. Toss together for 1 minute or until the noodles are beautifully coated in the sauce. Add the vegetables and pork back into the wok, along with the remaining sauce. Toss everything together for 2 minutes or until everything is nicely coated.

5. Divide the noodles into serving bowls. Top with some bonito flakes, aonori seaweed, and pickled ginger, if using. Enjoy!

NOTE:

If it’s hard to find thinly sliced pork belly, get a thick cut, put it in the freezer, and then, thinly slice it. When it’s partially frozen, it will be much easier to slice.

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