Yakisoba

Stir-fried noodles with pork & vegetables

18 min3 servingsJapanese680 kcal/serving15g protein
Yakisoba — Japanese recipe, finished and plated

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Ingredients

  • 400 g Fresh ramen noodles
  • 200 g Pork belly
  • 0.2 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

  1. Mix the soy, Worcestershire sauce, okonomi sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar into the yakisoba sauce.
  2. 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.
  3. Boil the noodles briefly just to loosen them. Drain and rinse cold, then toss with the sesame oil to prevent sticking.
  4. Heat the wok over high until smoking and add a little neutral oil. Stir-fry the pork until just browned.
  5. Add the carrot and scallion whites and toss briefly. Add the cabbage and toss until just wilted.
  6. Add a little more neutral oil and the drained noodles. Toss to combine and re-warm through.
  7. Pour the sauce around the rim of the wok so it briefly caramelises, then toss everything to glaze evenly.
  8. Tip onto plates and scatter the scallion greens and katsuobushi over the top.

Nutrition per serving

680Calories
15gProtein
48gCarbs
48gFat
4gFiber

Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.

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.

Equipment: wok.

Yakisoba: frequently asked questions

How many calories are in Yakisoba?

One serving of Yakisoba has about 680 calories, with 15g of protein, 48g of carbs, 48g of fat and 4g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact 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.