Yakisoba
Stir-fried noodles with pork & vegetables
Ingredients
- 400 g Fresh ramen noodles
- 200 g Pork belly
- ¼ head Cabbage
- 1 Carrot
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Okonomiyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- 3 Scallions (optional)
- 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil (optional)
- 5 g Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) (optional)
Method
- Mix the soy, Worcestershire sauce, okonomi sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar into the yakisoba sauce.
- Slice the pork belly thin. Shred the cabbage. Julienne the carrot. Slice the scallion whites into short batons and reserve the greens for the finish.
- Boil the noodles briefly just to loosen them. Drain and rinse cold, then toss with the sesame oil to prevent sticking.
- Heat the wok over high until smoking and add a little neutral oil. Stir-fry the pork until just browned.
- Add the carrot and scallion whites and toss briefly. Add the cabbage and toss until just wilted.
- Add a little more neutral oil and the drained noodles. Toss to combine and re-warm through.
- Pour the sauce around the rim of the wok so it briefly caramelises, then toss everything to glaze evenly.
- Tip onto plates and scatter the scallion greens and katsuobushi over the top.
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About Yakisoba
Yakisoba is one of Japan's great diner and festival dishes, stir-fried wheat noodles tumbled with pork belly and vegetables and coated in a sweet-savory-tangy sauce. Despite the name, the noodles are wheat ramen-style rather than buckwheat soba, and the dish's identity really lives in its sauce, a blend built on Worcestershire, soy, oyster sauce, and okonomiyaki sauce with a little sugar. That combination gives yakisoba its distinctive fruity, umami-heavy, faintly tangy flavor, quite different from a plain soy stir-fry. Cabbage, carrot, and scallion add sweetness and crunch, while thin-sliced pork belly brings richness.
Good yakisoba is about high heat and sequence: the wok should be smoking, the noodles loosened in advance and tossed with sesame oil so they don't clump, and the ingredients added in order so the pork browns and the vegetables stay crisp rather than steaming into softness. Finished with the greens of the scallion and a shower of katsuobushi that dances in the heat, it's fast enough for a weeknight at under twenty minutes yet has real street-food character. It's classic casual eating, the sort of plate you'd find at a summer festival stall, best served hot straight from the pan.
Yakisoba: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Yakisoba?
A serving has about 677 calories — 15.6g protein, 50.3g carbs, 46.2g fat, 4.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Yakisoba gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Fresh ramen noodles, Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), Okonomiyaki sauce and other gluten sources. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Yakisoba?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions, toasted sesame oil, katsuobushi (bonito flakes) — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Yakisoba make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.