Yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodles)

[DRColby]

I have the terrible problem of going to Costco, seeing something I think I can make great dinner out of. and then after I get home find out I have no idea how to use what bought.

The latest is four pounds of Yakisoba noodles ( think they are fresh. Anyhow now they are in my freezer). My first attempt - kind of a stir fry - ended in a very soggy mess. What I would like to get to is a salad or some kind of fish dish that utilizes these. Even better yet would be a recipe with wild mushrooms (I just picked some matsutakes, ruff stemmed boletes and a prince).

Recipes, suggestions, divine guidence, and instruction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

[torakris]

This thread might do better if it was in the cooking forum......

(I will see if I can get it moved)

I have to admit I have never really prepared yakisoba noodles for anything other then yakisoba

If they are the ones I am thinking of they are already cooked? and thus need a very short time in the pan with a small amount of liquid (1/4 to 1/3 cup per "ball") added at the same time.

They could probably be used in the same kind of recipes as Chinese egg noodles.

4 pounds, wow!

[alanamoana]

in addition to what torakris mentioned...

saute your mushrooms with a little bit of soy, add some garlic at the end, make a complementary sauce for the noodles, heat them through and then toss in the mushrooms. anything like that would work.

also at asian markets, they sell a lot of pre-made sauces (like yakisoba) that you can use. they're usually a little strong or salty, so taste them and use them judiciously...

[budrichard]

Yakisoba noodles are meant to be stir fried in a wok with oil over HIGH HEAT. I use them all the time but I have 15,000 BTU burners. Put your oil in your wok and turn the heat on as high as you can go, get the oil hot until it just smokes(peanut is the only oil to use) and add you noodles, the rest is basic heat tranfer and physics. -Dick

[DRColby]

Thanks all for getting me on the right track. Think I have it down after two nights of experimenting. Last night was best, did the high heat-peanut oil method usiing some albacore chunks, the last of the garden goodies (Swiss chard, pettie pan squash, Napa cabbage) a sauce of soya, rice vinegar, fish sauce, saki, ginger and garlic. Add straw mushrooms, the noodles,cilantro and green onions at the end to warm. Very good.

Night before I tried a pork loin cut up with the Japanses cuttlet sauce; sauce was too heavy for my taste.

Anyhow I am dowen to about 3 pounds of noodles left in freezer and now know how to use them.

Thanks,

dave

[budrichard]

'Japanese Cooking- A Simple Art' by Shizuo Tsuji, will take care of all your sauce problems.-Dick

[torakris]

I am not really a huge fan of yakisoba and I don't think I would ever order it anywhere, but it is a quick and easy lunch for my 3 kids.

I don't do much to it, I follow the direction exactly and add the typical ingredients of onion, carrots, cabbage and meat.

I reemmber once and American friend of mine here made it for a BBQ but she made it with seafood, red peppers, baby corn and snow peas and also made her own sauce. It was really good.

How do you make your yakisoba?

Do you fancy it up?

Any toppings that are a must have?

Is it a meal or a snack?

I like mine with mayo (yes, I have been in Japan too long...)

lunch 2 days ago

[okinawaChris]

I like mine with mayo as well....especially the mustard spiked Yellow-Capped Kewpie! So goooood......

I am not really a huge fan of yakisoba and I don't think I would ever order it anywhere, but it is a quick and easy lunch for my 3 kids.

I don't do much to it, I follow the direction exactly and add the typical ingredients of onion, carrots, cabbage and meat.

I reemmber once and American friend of mine here made it for a BBQ but she made it with seafood, red peppers, baby corn and snow peas and also made her own sauce. It was really good.

How do you make your yakisoba?

Do you fancy it up?

Any toppings that are a must have?

Is it a meal or a snack?

I like mine with mayo (yes, I have been in Japan too long...)

lunch 2 days ago

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[Kiem Hwa]

In Hawaii we like Spam in our yakisoba Otherwise, ours pretty much looks like your picture...except without the mayo. Although maybe I will try that now.

I like the tiny pink shrimps, I garnish with those sometimes too.

[Hiroyuki]

For those who are not familiar with yakisoba: The word yakisoba is deceptive. The noodles for use in making yakisoba are usually steamed Chinese noodles, which do NOT contain soba (buckwheat) flour.

I like mine topped with a lot of beni shoga (pickled red ginger).

[torakris]

any idea on why they call it yaki SOBA?

[Jason Perlow]

Kris, that Kewpie-laced yakisoba with sliced weenies ranks way up there with omuraisu as the ultimate in drunk -off-your-ass cuisine. I am impressed.

[Priscilla]

I love yakisoba! My favorite Japanese lunch place serves it wildly sizzling on one of those metal platters sitting on its own wood trivet. So good! With a nice garni of pickled red ginger.

I have tried to make it at home, using packet mixes, and also using separate ingredients and bottled sauce, but it is never as good.

Torakris, or other experienced yakisobaers, could you give a brief rundown of your method?

And I second the question of why yakiSOBA.

[Palladion]

The best yakisoba I've had was at Fuugetsu, a popular chain of Okonomiyaki restaurants in the Kansai area. While I thought their okonomiyaki was decent, the yakisoba was awesome.

As this was an okonomiyaki restaurant, the yakisoba was cooked right at the table. In a nice gesture, they handed everyone little paper bibs, to protect clothes from splattering oil as the noodles cooked. A couple of other nice touches: first, they laid down onto the cooking surface a little oil and some very fatty pork and let the pork fat melt, to flavor the other ingredients. Secondly, the noodles were excellent: they were much thicker than the noodles normally used for yakisoba, and were pleasantly chewy. Not as thick as, say, udon, but noticably thicker.

Instead of a sauce, they used a "spice" concoction from a shaker. I've tried making my own sauce in the past, using ingredients like worchestire sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and the like, but still haven't gotten anything really nice. Anyone have a good recipe?

-------

Alex Parker

[Hiroyuki]

any idea on why they call it yaki SOBA?

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I can't find a definitive answer to that question. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that ramen used to be (and still is) called Shina soba (支那蕎麦) or Chuka soba (中華蕎麦) to differentiate it from Nihon soba (regular Japanese soba).

[helenjp]

I think Hiroyuki is right, in fact I've heard that "ramen" is a new word and that it used to be called "shina-soba" but I can't remember just when...

Yaki-soba...makes a regular lunchtime appearance around here because 1) most kids can cook it themselves on a table-top hotplate when I'm frantic with deadlines and 2) even the fussiest visiting kids like it, and they like it even more when they've made it themselves.

We usually use more veg than recommended - an assortment of onion (especially the new onions available now), Chinese chives, bean sprouts, carrot, bamboo shoot, red (or failing that green) peppers, and occasionally lettuce and wakame. Meats: pork shreds and sliced chikuwa (tubular fish sausage). Even lettuce and wakame have made an appearance.

We use the powdered sauce, because that's what visiting kids expect, and now we've got used to it too! I use little or no water, because the larger than usual proportion of veges releases plenty. Frying the noodles separately before combining with the veges and meat keeps the noodles firmer (and solves that "overflowing wok/hotplate" problem).

Occasionally I fry some eggs, breaking the yolk and swirling them just a bit, and scatter pieces over the finished noodles.

Serve with extra sauce (I use less powdered sauce than we really need) and aonori/red ginger. Mayo....nope. I don't care for cold cream with my food!

[Hiroyuki]

Torakris, or other experienced yakisobaers, could you give a brief rundown of your method?

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I made yakisoba for today's supper. Here is a rundown of my method:

Ingredients for 3 servings:

3 packs yakisoba

3 packs yakisoba sauce

1 green pepper (optional)

200 g thinly sliced pork

1/2 carrot

1/2 onion

1/8 cabbage

1 pack moyashi (bean sprouts)

1. Put all vegetables in a frying pan, and stir-fry until tender.

2. Set aside in a plate.

3. Put pork in the frying pan, stir-fry until done.

4. Set aside in the plate.

5. Put yakisoba in the frying pan, add some water, turn on the gas, and put a lid on for 2-3 minutes.

6. Remove the lid and stir yakisoba.

7. Put vegetable and pork back in the frying pan, and mix well. Add sauce and mix well

8. Serve with beni shoga and ao nori (and katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes), if you like)).

The most important thing is I think is to leave the yakisoba at room temperature long enough before cooking. Otherwise, it will be hard to stir.

The simplest method will be just put the pork first, stir until done, add the vegetables, stir until tender, add the yakisoba, mix well, add the sauce, and mix well.

So, what is your method, everyone?

[torakris]

The simplest method will be just put the pork first, stir until done, add the vegetables, stir until tender, add the yakisoba, mix well, add the sauce, and mix well.

So, what is your method, everyone?

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what you just described above as the simplest method..

[SuzySushi]

The most important thing is I think is to leave the yakisoba at room temperature long enough before cooking.  Otherwise, it will be hard to stir.

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I usually gently roll the sealed packets of yakisoba between the palms of my hands before opening, to help loosen the strands of noodles.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

I soak the sealed packets of noodles in warm water, then use Hiroyuki's method.

Cheryl

[Priscilla]

Hiroyuki, thank you so much for the pictorial. You inspired me yesterday to jettison my original dinner plans and make yakisoba instead! (I posted about it over on Dinner!)

Yay!

[Hiroyuki]

Hiroyuki, thank you so much for the pictorial.  You inspired me yesterday to jettison my original dinner plans and make yakisoba instead!  (I posted about it over on Dinner!)

Yay!

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Yesterday, after seeing Hiroyuki's instructional pictorial over on the Japan forum, ran out to the Japanese market for what we needed and experienced success with yakitori at home! A perfect dish to cook outside over the butane burner.

We also had a sashimi selection from the Japanese market. Broccoli florets with a touch of Kewpie mayonnaise on the side, and my homemade cabbage pickle. Icy Sapporo beer. Yum.

What a dinner! That sure was Japan Day for you.

[AzianBrewer]

I soak the sealed packets of noodles in warm water, then use Hiroyuki's method.

Cheryl

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The warm water actually helps to make the noodle al dente...It reduces the time of stirring in the hot skillet.

[torakris]

Thanks for all of these noodle tips, I have always had the worst problem stirring the noodles when I added them to the pan.....

[Priscilla]

Hiroyuki, thank you so much for the pictorial.  You inspired me yesterday to jettison my original dinner plans and make yakisoba instead!  (I posted about it over on Dinner!)

Yay!

←

Yesterday, after seeing Hiroyuki's instructional pictorial over on the Japan forum, ran out to the Japanese market for what we needed and experienced success with yakitori at home! A perfect dish to cook outside over the butane burner.

We also had a sashimi selection from the Japanese market. Broccoli florets with a touch of Kewpie mayonnaise on the side, and my homemade cabbage pickle. Icy Sapporo beer. Yum.

What a dinner! That sure was Japan Day for you.

←

At our house we strive to have Japan Day as often as possible!

(Forgot to say, we also watched Dotchi cooking show that evening.)

Edited August 29, 2005 by Priscilla (log)