Yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodles)

[BarbaraY]

I guess we haven't been making yakisoba lately but this was what I made for my lunch today.

It turned out very well and I have enough left for another lunch.

Edited June 9, 2007 by BarbaraY (log)

[shinju]

Hiroyuki, I think you are right about the origin of yakisoba. My step-father is 2nd generation Japanese American. His father came to the US in the early 1900 and his mother around 1920's. All his family calls most things soba or udon. Ramen is soba. Used to really confuse me when he would say he wanted to go eat soba. I thought he meant Japanese soba, but noooo, he meant ramen. Most of his contemporaries still call ramen soba. On the other hand, my mother is Japanese and she did not call ramen soba and neither did I growing up in Japan.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Hiroyuki, I think you are right about the origin of yakisoba.  My step-father is 2nd generation Japanese American.  His father came to the US in the early 1900 and his mother around 1920's.  All his family calls most things soba or udon.  Ramen is soba.  Used to really confuse me when he would say he wanted to go eat soba.  I thought he meant Japanese soba, but noooo, he meant ramen.  Most of his contemporaries still call ramen soba.  On the other hand, my mother is Japanese and she did not call ramen soba and neither did I growing up in Japan.

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My maternal grandfather is of the same generation as your stepfather, and he calls the noodles by their proper names. That may or may not have something to do with being married to my Nana (born and raised in Japan, emigrated in the early 50s) for 55 years.

[shinju]

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[Domestic Goddess]

My version of the yakisoba with cabbage, carrots, tofu, slivers of ham and onions...

[Beebs]

I'm making yakisoba for dinner today -- yum! I'm putting leftover steak and Chinese lapcheung in mine.

Does anyone have a recipe for yakisoba sauce? I've been using the pre-made Otafuku brand sauce, but would love to try making it from scratch. Also, how different is yakisoba sauce from okonomiyaki and tonkatsu sauce? Could I use them interchangeably?

Thanks, awesome eG'ers!

[Hiroyuki]

I'm making yakisoba for dinner today -- yum!  I'm putting leftover steak and Chinese lapcheung in mine. 

Does anyone have a recipe for yakisoba sauce?  I've been using the pre-made Otafuku brand sauce, but would love to try making it from scratch.  Also, how different is yakisoba sauce from okonomiyaki and tonkatsu sauce?  Could I use them interchangeably? 

Thanks, awesome eG'ers!

←

Did you check out post this post of mine here?

I browsed through some yakisoba sauce recipes, and found they were mostly combinations of any of Worcester sauce, chuunou (medium dense) sauce, tonkatsu sauce, and oyster sauce.

Another type of yakisoba that has become increasinly popular these days is shio (= salt) yakisoba, which is usually simply seasoned with Chinese chicken broth and salt.

Here is an example (sorry, Japanese only).

I think tonkatsu sauces are generally spicy, while okonomiyaki and takoyaki sauces are rather sweet, and I think that yakisoba sauces are more like Worcester, chuunou, and tonkatsu sauces than okonomiyaki and takoyaki sauces.

[GlorifiedRice]

Is there a way to reduce the fat from fried ramen style noodles?

Id love to make Yakisoba leaner.

I wonder if I lined my salad spinner with paper towels and spun the noodles after cooking?

Are there any whole wheat ramen in Japan?

[Hiroyuki]

Is there a way to reduce the fat from fried ramen style noodles?

Id love to make Yakisoba leaner.

I wonder if I lined my salad spinner with paper towels and spun the noodles after cooking?

Are there any whole wheat ramen in Japan?

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I need one clarification: Do you use fried ramen noodles (you mean instant fried ramen, right?) to make yakisoba? In Japan, we use a special type of noodles, which is usually steamed.

Anyway, just do what you described, and report back!

[Norio]

Another type of yakisoba that has become increasinly popular these days is shio (= salt) yakisoba, which is usually simply seasoned with Chinese chicken broth and salt.

Here is an example (sorry, Japanese only).

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This was my introduction to shio yakisoba, at an izakaya in Shinjuku. Very tasty. I think I prefer it to the "sauce" kind.

[GlorifiedRice]

In the store here the noodles labled Yakisoba are glorified ramen

http://www.consumatron.com/2006/02/marucha...aki-flavor.html

[torakris]

In the store here the noodles labled Yakisoba are glorified ramen

http://www.consumatron.com/2006/02/marucha...aki-flavor.html

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Those the instant style yakisoba.

The ones that I think most people are using here are the semi-fresh noodles found in the refrigerator case, they look something like this.

As to the previous sauce question.

Okonomiyaki sauce is my favorite of all, I use it on everything. Yakisoba, tonkatsu, etc

I think it is all just personal preference.

[Beebs]

I'm making yakisoba for dinner today -- yum!  I'm putting leftover steak and Chinese lapcheung in mine. 

Does anyone have a recipe for yakisoba sauce?  I've been using the pre-made Otafuku brand sauce, but would love to try making it from scratch.  Also, how different is yakisoba sauce from okonomiyaki and tonkatsu sauce?  Could I use them interchangeably? 

Thanks, awesome eG'ers!

←

Did you check out post this post of mine here?

I browsed through some yakisoba sauce recipes, and found they were mostly combinations of any of Worcester sauce, chuunou (medium dense) sauce, tonkatsu sauce, and oyster sauce.

Another type of yakisoba that has become increasinly popular these days is shio (= salt) yakisoba, which is usually simply seasoned with Chinese chicken broth and salt.

Here is an example (sorry, Japanese only).

I think tonkatsu sauces are generally spicy, while okonomiyaki and takoyaki sauces are rather sweet, and I think that yakisoba sauces are more like Worcester, chuunou, and tonkatsu sauces than okonomiyaki and takoyaki sauces.

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Thanks, Hiroyuki! I've got everything except for chuunou sauce, but I'm sure I can find it. Can't wait to try it!

[rooftop1000]

Having just read this whole thread I came to the realization that I used to make this all the time without knowing it was something "real". I just called it stir fry with noodles if I called it anything other than dinner.

I used ramen soaked in hot water and assortment of veggies from the supermarket salad bar, and chicken or shrimp ....or whatever seasoned with soy, sugar, and the ramen flavor packet.

pretty cool

tracey

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

In the store here the noodles labled Yakisoba are glorified ramen

http://www.consumatron.com/2006/02/marucha...aki-flavor.html

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The Americanized instant yakisoba is lousy stuff. Very bland.

[Hiroyuki]

Having just read this whole thread I came to the realization that I used to make this all the time without knowing it was something "real". I just called it stir fry with noodles if I called it anything other than dinner.

I used ramen soaked in hot water and assortment of veggies from the supermarket salad bar, and chicken or shrimp ....or whatever seasoned with soy, sugar, and the ramen flavor packet.

pretty cool

tracey

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In Japan, we have "yaki ramen" and "shiru-nashi" (broth-less) ramen.

Yaki ramen images

Shiru-nashi ramen images

[GlorifiedRice]

I made Yakisoba, with real yakisoba noodles. No photo as mine doesnt look visually appealing. I used cabbage, carrot, onion and ground chicken.

The sauce was a mixture of bbq, ketchup, worcestershire, soy and honey.

I ate it with mayo and Ao Nori ko...

YUMMY! Its a keeper, plus I precooked all the veggies in the microwave and didnt use but a drop of oil. Im waiting for my son to wake up and tell me what he thinks. We had kimbap for lunch...

Hiroyuki? I would have used Beni Shoga but I was too lazy to root around in the fridge for it.

I put the noodles in the microwave in some water for 3 mins to loosen

Edited July 15, 2007 by GlorifiedRice (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I made Yakisoba, with real yakisoba noodles. No photo as mine doesnt look visually appealing. I used cabbage, carrot, onion and ground chicken.

The sauce was a mixture of bbq, ketchup, worcestershire, soy and honey.

I ate it with mayo and Ao Nori ko...

YUMMY! Its a keeper, plus I precooked all the veggies in the microwave and didnt use but a drop of oil. Im waiting for my son to wake up and tell me what he thinks. We had kimbap for lunch...

Hiroyuki? I would have used Beni Shoga but I was too lazy to root around in the fridge for it.

I put the noodles in the microwave in some water for 3 mins to loosen

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Congratulations, GlorifiedRice! But I must ask why you ate it with mayo when you wanted to make sure your yakisoba was oil-free.

Here's a nice tip that I learned from the TV show Itoke no Shokutaku:

Add 2 tbsp sake to one serving of yakisoba noodles to loosen, instead of water. This prevents the yakisoba from being soggy, and helps the seasoning adhere to the yakisoba noodles. One of the few Itoke no Shokutaku tips (urawaza) that really work.

One more thing: Ketchup! That's a novel idea!

Edited July 15, 2007 by Hiroyuki (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

I made it oil reduced so I COULD have mayo on it.

Oh and I read the back of the VERY old bottle of Yakisoba sauce I had and it had tomatoes in it so voila! I replicated it with what I had. The old bottle of yakisoba sauce was 9 yrs old and I didnt wanna use it.

Edited July 16, 2007 by GlorifiedRice (log)

[Hiroyuki]

At a local festival here in the Shiozawa area, I had Fujinomiya yakisoba for the very first time. Thick and firm noodles, lightly seasoned. I think I prefer regular yakisoba.

http://www.umya-yakisoba.com/eindex2.html

[Fuji Mama]

I have recently tried a couple of recipes for yakisoba. While the results were ok, they just didn't taste right. Does anyone have an authentic tasting recipe? I'm guessing my problem is a combination of the right sauce recipe and the right ratio of ingredients.

[Hiroyuki]

Have you checked out this thread?

I just can't think of an authentic recipe. I prefer very substancial yakisoba with lots of various vegetables to supermarket an street food versions with only a few strands of cabbage!

[EllenC]

Hiroyuki, I read the thread you pointed to, and I am wondering, what is chuunou sauce? I have oyster and eel sauces at home but this is new to me. Thank you so much for always helping with answers. (especially since I am a silly gaijin in Idaho and have to hunt for ingredients)

Ellen

[Fuji Mama]

Hiroyuki, I read the thread you pointed to, and I am wondering, what is chuunou sauce?  I have oyster and eel sauces at home but this is new to me.  Thank you so much for always helping with answers.  (especially since I am a silly gaijin in Idaho and have to hunt for ingredients)

Ellen

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Thanks Ellen, I was just going to ask the same thing! I would love to make my own sauce... Hiroyuki, thanks for pointing me to that thread, I didn't find it when I did a search!

[sanrensho]

There is a picture of chunou sauce here, Bulldog (probably the best known brand) describes it as blending the piquancy of their worcestershire sauce and the sweetness mildness of their tonkatsu sauce.

If you can find tonkatsu sauce, you could use or doctor that.

Edited September 5, 2008 by sanrensho (log)