Easy yakisoba

This easy yakisoba can be made with pork, chicken, seafood or tofu—or a combination thereof— and is a mix of noodles, vegetables and a cooking sauce that gives the dish its name. It’s the perfect, quick meal to put together when you don’t have a lot of time to spare.

L'Arriviste

Yakisoba is a popular Japanese style of dish that is quick and simple to cook. This easy yakisoba is my streamlined version, a quick meal, ideal for those busy weeks when you don’t have time to spend in the kitchen.

Yakisoba is a dish woven into my childhood memories, a personal version of Proust’s madeleines, something tasted while travelling or frequently cooked by my father. It was one of the first Japanese dishes he learned to cook on his travels in the early 1960s and, as kids, my siblings and I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s also one of the first Japanese dishes he taught me to cook. At the age of about 8, I precociously cooked it (standing on a kitchen stool) for him and two of his seafaring friends who happened to be in town. They, who were familiar with Japan, actually looked surprised at what I'd pulled off when they tasted it. Denton, my father, just smiled his crooked smile. It was the only approval I needed and, thus, it holds a special place in my heart.

Yakisoba is perhaps a little misunderstood, especially when one sees diners ordering it in trendy eateries in London or Paris and gabbing on about how it's “quintessentially Japanese; so authentic”. I always smile when I overhear these fallacies exoticising it and totally misunderstanding its origins.

For one thing, it hasn’t been part of the Japanese food canon for that long. Indeed, the most prevalent versions by which we know it today didn’t really exist until after Japan’s WWII defeat. Its origins lie with Chinese chefs and their preferred egg noodles. After the United States introduced the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, many Chinese immigrants were forced to leave the USA and thousands in China were forced rethink their emigration plans. A notable number found their way to Japan. Some set up food stalls and little eateries that started to popularise Chinese-style egg noodle dishes with the hungry residents of Yokohama and Tokyo, two locations where many settled.

Around the same time, the first teppanyaki food stalls began to appear in Japan. And, yes, there is a point to this. It was the start of a slow street food revolution. Eschewing woks, steamers and pots for a teppan, a large griddle-like flat pan, that enabled quick cooking for waiting customers, teppanyaki cooking originally focussed on egg pancakes (okonomiyaki) and quick hacks inspired by tempura styles of cooking, often offering dishes that appealed to children, a clever commercial hook to pull in passing parents with hungry nippers. But, via earthquakes, food shortages and war, this style of cooking would eventually lead to what we today know as yakisoba.

Despite the misconceptions of Western sophisticates, yakisoba is effectively a Japanese version of British pub grub or American diner fare. And, indeed, they even share condiment choices—Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup—both of which are ingredients of yakisoba sauce. Noodle dishes featuring Worcestershire sauce became fashionable in Japan during the 1930s while American-style tomato ketchup was one of the things Japanese returning from WWII American internment camps brought back with them in the 1950s, along with a penchant for Mayonnaise that drove mass production of Japanese versions.

A prevalence of pigs

Up until the last 15 years or so, you would be hard pressed to find a version of yakisoba in Japan that didn’t include pork. Similarly, almost all yakisoba in Japan included the (egg) wheat noodles (chuuka men) popularised by the Chinese. An understandable misconception is that the “soba” in “yakisoba” refers to the buckwheat soba noodles beloved of the Japanese. In a typically Japanese avoidance of the obvious, it does not, but actually refers to this dish made with the more affordable wheat (egg) noodles, one of the reasons it was originally cheap-'n-cheerful food, especially during post-WWII food shortages.

However, things have changed. Now it's easier to find versions with lower-fat proteins including chicken or seafood—or both—and versions featuring those delicious buckwheat soba noodles. Merely work out what combination works for you.

I am using hispi cabbage (also known as Napa, cone, sweetheart, or sugarloaf cabbage) mainly because I really like it. But, yakisoba is more traditionally made with bog standard white cabbage. The choice is yours.

Easy yakisoba with with pork

Sequential note

I am detailing the recipe here for the chicken version. Note that sequencing is different depending on what protein you're using. If using pork, this goes in at the start of the cooking process, even before the carrots, onion and bell pepper. If you are using chicken, this goes in around the same time as the cabbage because it cooks relatively quickly. I usually put tofu in at around the same point if using it because I find it benefits from enough time to absorb juices in the pan. But, if using seafood such as prawns or scallops, I don’t put these in until the noodles are already heated. Allowing seafood to cook slightly protected in the hot noodles is a good way to control it cooking evenly and ensure that all the other elements are already piping hot when it needs to be removed from the heat given how quickly seafood cooks.

Saucy propositions

The thing about yakisoba, is that the sauce that is used to cook it in is more a genre of sauce rather than a single recipe, like “BBQ” or “curry powder”. Almost all versions will contain Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup, but often the ratios of these and the additional individual ingredients will vary from chef to chef or region to region.

Although I am including a recipe for making a yakisoba sauce from scratch that I like, I haven’t made it for years and generally only do so if I’m somewhere where it is not easy to access a decent readymade sauce. There are numerous Japanese brands available online or in specialist Asian grocers in many parts of the world and I simply use these. For example, I recommend Otafuku Yakisoba Sauce. After all, this is supposed to be “easy yakisoba”.

Differences aside

Apart from the pickles and condiments, yakisoba isn’t generally served with side dishes, reflecting its history as a street food that might be taken away or eaten standing. But I am doing the chicken version with kabocha—a type of pumpkin sometimes called Hokkaido pumpkin, Japanese pumpkin, also known as kabocha squash—because it too has strong childhood associations for me and, well, because I had one that needed to be used.

It may look like a bit of a fuss to make, but it really isn’t and it’s well worth the effort. Also, it is usually served cold or lukewarm, which means that you can get it done before you start the yakisoba that cooks quickly. There are some versions made for special occasions that use a complex stock containing a particular type of dashi, but in keeping with “easy yakisoba”, I am doing the most common version.

It’s also poignant for me because of how I was taught to cook it by Madame Matsudaira. The wife of a Japanese shipping magnate, I was thrilled that she bestowed the honour on me to learn from her. As she spoke in her perfectly modulated tones and showed me how to cut the pumpkin in her Chanel twin set and pearls, it was like my own private version of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

She patiently explained that the way in which the pumpkin was cut was based on Zen principles drawing on nature, aesthetically both in terms of the visual and flavour. Visually, the way the pumpkin is cut and partially peeled is intended to resemble lichen on rocks. But, this “erratic” cutting away of the skin also has implications for flavour. In simmering the pumpkin placed in the pot in a very rigid way with these outer edges at the base of the pot, the remaining elements of skin take on an umami depth in contrast to the sweetness of the pumpkin flesh as it cooks, making each “rock” of kobocha resonate in two different ways in the mouth.

With the pork version, I have made made a very traditional Japanese green bean gomaae, basically steamed green beans with a sesame dressing, again, usually served cold or lukewarm. I am using a widely available readymade deep-roasted sesame dressing but have included the simple homemade alternative if it's not easy for you to get.

The quantities in this recipe serve 2 diners.

3 top tips to get this recipe right:

• Don’t cook yakisoba in a wok. Rather use a large, flat pan (skillet) where the heat is more evenly distributed across the surface compared with gradated heat in a wok. This mimics the teppan griddles on which yakisoba evolved. In the 70s, my father swore by using a large electric frying pan—remember those?

• There is a tendency in the West to undercook stir fried dishes. Yes, the vegetables should have a certain crunchy quality, but they should also be cooked. It’s not a hot salad. There is a term in Chinese cooking that refers to “a golden point”; the point at which vegetables have changed flavour from raw to cooked, but are still al dente. That’s what you’re going for. Traditionally, in yakisoba, the cabbage should be the crunchiest of all the veggies, hence it goes in later than the other vegetables.

• I know I say it every time: do all of your preparation of the ingredients before you fire up the pan. Remember that this dish’s history is literally as fast food and it cooks very quickly. You won’t manage to chop the cabbage while frying the onions and peppers unless you really have secretly had an alternative existence running a yakisoba stall in Yokohama.

Shopping list

for the easy yakisoba

• 2 skinless chicken breasts; cut into large bite-sized pieces —or the relevant quantity of diced pork, seafood, tofu, etc.

• Approx. 270g egg noodles; fresh or cooked and drained

• About 150g hispi cabbage (or white cabbage); sliced

• 1 onion, quartered vertically and prized apart (or two echalion shallots)

• ½ a green bell pepper; sliced

• 1 large carrot; peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 handfuls of fresh bean sprouts (optional)

• 1tspn garlic & ginger paste (optional)

• Approx. 3tbspns sunflower oil (or rapeseed oil)

• 2tspns sesame oil

• 3 to 4tbspns yakisoba sauce

• Approx. 3tspns light soy sauce

  
  

for the kabocha (kabocha no nimino)

• ¼ Hokkaido pumpkin/Kabcho squash; prepared according the the instructions below

• 2tbspns cooking sake

• 1tspn sugar

• Water

• A pinch of salt

• The green part of 1 spring onion, cut into pieces —for garnish

for the green beans with sesame dressing (gommae)

• Approx. 150g fresh green beans; topped tailed and cut into large pieces 

• Approx. 2tbspns Japanese sesame dressing

  • If making your own dressing, you will need: sesame seeds, soy sauce, white sugar

for the yakisoba sauce

• 3 tbspns Worcestershire sauce (or Japanese Bulldog brand Worcestershire sauce)

• 1 tbspn tomato ketchup

• 1tspn cooking sake

• 1 tbspn honey

• 1 tspn mirin

• 1 tbspn dark soy sauce

• 1tbspn oyster sauce

  
  

Condiments

Yakisoba is always served with condiments. It's not unusual to see people in Japan loading up with four or five of the condiments on offer. The most traditional and widely used are:

• pickled ginger

• mixed pickles — I like pickled cucumber and pickled mustard greens, for example

• furikake — there are a wide variety of readymade versions of these traditional seasonings available on the market

• Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) — for the pork version, I'm killing two birds with one stone by opting for a furikake that contains bonito flakes

• (Japanese) mayonnaise

Cooking method

the easy yakisoba

1. Heat the oils in a large frying pan on a high heat. When fully hot, add the onion. Sizzle for a minute or so then add the carrot and green bell pepper, stir frying

2. When they show signs of softening slightly, add the garlic & ginger paste (if using), stirring in. Then add the chicken pieces and stir in. Barely a minute later, when the chicken is partially cooked, add the bean sprouts and stir in. After another minute, add the cabbage and stir in. Add the soy sauce and stir in. This is partly to protect the ingredients from searing too quickly

3. When the chicken is no longer raw on any of its sides add 1tbspn of the yakisoba sauce to the pan and stir it in, coating all the ingredients

4. Add the noodles to the pan, pulling them apart using tongs and ensuring all the other ingredients are spread through the noodles. As the noodles begin to heat, add the remaining yakisoba sauce and and keep turning using tongs so that it evenly coats all ingredients. If it becomes a little dry, simply add a little more sauce

5. When the chicken is fully cooked and the dish is piping hot, remove from the heat and take to table with condiments and any side dishes

the green beans with sesame dressing (gommae)

1. If making your own dressing, do this first. Toast 2tbspns of sesame seeds until golden brown. Crush into a rough powder using a pestle and mortar. Heat the soy sauce on a low heat, but hot enough that you can stir in a teaspoon of white sugar (to about 80ml of soy) so that it dissolves. When the sugar has dissolved, stir in the sesame seeds to form a dressing. NB: this will not have the very thick consistency of commercial sesame dressings. This is more than you will need but you can store it in the fridge for a month.

2. Trim and cut the beans into fairly large pieces. Steam (or boil) until cooked. Drain and dress while still hot. Allow the beans to cool and serve cold or lukewarm

the kabocha (kabocha no nimino)

1. Cut your pumpkin vertically into wedges. The ridges in the outer skin are the guide to how big each wedge should be i.e. cut vertically between each ridge

2. Lay each wedge flat and cut into small, bite-sized pieces so that each piece has skin on its outer edge. Using a paring knife, cut away most of the skin on each piece, leaving a small piece of the pumpkin skin intact. Don't cut it in a regular pattern: think in terms of the Japanese aesthetic for asymmetry.

3. In a suitable small pot, wedge all of the pieces of pumpkin in, ensuring they all stand upright (i.e. skin side at the bottom of the pot) sprinkle the sugar over the pumpkin and allow to stand for 15mins

4. Add the cooking sake, salt and enough water to cover two thirds of the pumpkin i.e. the top third of the pieces should not be submerged

5. Use a drop lid if you have one, otherwise cut a piece of baking paper so that it is sized to leave about 1cm between it and the sides of the pot. Cut a few holes into it to allow excess steam to escape. Lay over the top of the kabocha pieces

6. Carefully heat the pot so it comes to a gentle simmer i.e. it must not boil vigorously. Simmer until the pumpkin is fully cooked, but not "squishy". Drain and allow to cool

7. Garnish with the green part of a spring onion cut using scissors. Take to table cold or lukewarm

Alternatives

Altough I am showing two carnivore versions here—chicken and pork—apart from these proteins, everything in the dish is vegan except for the Worcestershire sauce and honey used in the yakisoba sauce. This is easily remedied: make your own yakisoba sauce using one of the numerous vegan Worcestershire sauces on the market or mushroom ketchup and replace the honey with maple syrup. I don't know whether there are vegan readymade yakisoba sauces available, but I do know the ones I most often use do contain small amounts of anchovy.

I usually make vegan versions with tofu, but small whole chestnut mushrooms are a good option too. And, if using a furikake, select one that doesn't contain dried fish.

There are plenty of pescatarian options. In Japan , the most common versions at cheap-'n-cheerful yakisoba stalls are sliced fish balls or pieces of surimi sticks (known by various names in other places: crab sticks, krab sticks, seafood sticks etc.) It's also great with large prawns or, if you're feeling indulgent, scallops or octopus. Remember that, because seafood cooks so quickly, to put it into the pan only once the noodles are already hot.

Pairings

This really is a dish where I cannot make any wine suggestions. Of course there are wines that work wonderfully with it, but it's simply never occurred to me to have wine with it. Beer, of course, goes fabulously with a lot of Japanese food and if opting for beer, I would ordinarily have yakisoba with an Asahi Super Dry or a Sapporo Premium Beer. This is more out of habit than anything else, these being Japanese beers I know and like, rather than a directional choice. However, I'm sure there are Japanese beer geeks out there that may have a few more sophisticated suggestions.

Most often I like this dish with sparking water with a dash of lime and yuzu, which is what I have gone for with the chicken version. Least often, as with the pork version here, I will opt for sake. Yakisoba is a dish that is hardly salubrious enough to justify the full sake debate, so all I will say is that I prefer the clear (versus cloudy) sake with this dish and sake of the room temperature variety. The latter has nothing to do with disliking hot sake specifically and more to do with the fact that my body reacts violently to any form of warm alcohol regardless of whether it is glühwein or a hot toddy. Go figure.