Japanese yakisoba noodle

The Japanese are a nation of noodle-lovers and yakisoba is one of our favourites. We often see this dish during festivals when we have yatai (street food stalls) and I always looked forward to having this dish whenever I went out with my parents to the festivals. You can also buy ready-made yakisoba sauce.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp	Oyster sauce
4 Tbsp	Worcestershire sauce, Japanese style, see pantry notes
2 tsp	Soy sauce
4 tsp	Honey
¼ tsp	Freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp	Dashi, see pantry notes
½ Tbsp	Tomato ketchup
220 g	Ramen noodles, hakubaku, see pantry notes (Main)
2 Tbsp	Oil
100 g	Onions, sliced
100 g	Carrots, thinly sliced (Main)
300 g	Mixed seafood, prawns and squid cut into rings (Main)
100 g	Cabbages, cut into 2.5cm squares
1 serving	Seaweed, flakes, see pantry notes
1 serving	Japanese pickled ginger

Directions

1. Put all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl and mix well
2. Cook noodles as per packet instructions. Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.
3. Heat a wok on medium-high heat and add oil. Cook onion and carrot for 3 minutes then add prawns and squid rings. Cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Add cooked noodles and cabbage and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the sauce mix to the wok and cook until noodles are coated with the sauce.
6. Sprinkle over some aonori and serve with pickled ginger if desired.

Pantry notes

1. Usutaa sauce is similar to worcestershire but has less acidity and spiciness. Look for Bull Dog brand.
2. Dashi powder is like an instant stock powder and is used to make soup or to season dishes.
3. Aonori are nori flakes, used to garnish yakisoba, okonomiyaki and many more Japanese dishes. If you don't have aonori, you can use nori sheets. Fold a sheet 4 times and use scissors to cut into very thin threads, one inch long.
4. Hakubaku ramen noodles are great for stir-frying as they hold sauces well.
5. If you prefer you can use store-bought yakisoba sauce. You will find all of these ingredients at a Japanese grocer. Larger supermarkets should also have them.

See our full guide to buying

Japenese ingredients here on the How to page.