Yakisoba
Wheat noodles fried on a griddle with cabbage, pork and a thick fruity brown sauce, finished with aonori, bonito flakes and pickled ginger. Festival food, cooked on a plancha for a crowd.
Photograph credit: Yakisoba-Japanese-food by Boonlert Aroonpiboon · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photograph credit: Fukaya Negi Curry Yakisoba by Kaede by M yanagisawa · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Method
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Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set beside the hob.
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Rinse the noodles briefly under warm water and separate the strands with your fingers. Drain well.
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Heat a large frying pan or griddle over high heat with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
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Fry the pork belly for 4 minutes until the fat has rendered and the edges are crisp. Push it to one side.
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Add the onion, carrot and cabbage stems and stir-fry 3 minutes, then the cabbage leaves for 1 minute.
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Push everything aside, add the remaining oil and the noodles, and spread them flat.
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Add the 3 tablespoons of water, cover for 30 seconds to steam the noodles loose, then uncover and let the water cook off.
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Pour the sauce over, raise the heat to maximum, and toss everything hard for 90 seconds until the noodles are glossy and lightly charred in places.
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Add the beansprouts, toss once, and serve topped with aonori, bonito flakes, ginger and a zigzag of mayonnaise.
Chef’s Tips
- Loosen the noodles before they go in. A brick of noodles never separates once it is frying.
- Sauce last, heat highest. Added early it steams the noodles into mush.
- The bonito flakes should move in the heat — that is how you know the dish is hot enough to serve.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.
Pairing Suggestions
- A cold beer
- Takoyaki, for the full festival spread
- Extra beni shoga
Storage & Reheating
Best immediately. Keeps 2 days refrigerated; reheat in a very hot pan, never a microwave.
Common questions
How long does Yakisoba take to make?
About 27 minutes in total — 15 minutes of preparation and 12 minutes of cooking. The recipe serves 4.
What are the key tips for making Yakisoba?
Loosen the noodles before they go in. A brick of noodles never separates once it is frying. Sauce last, heat highest. Added early it steams the noodles into mush. The bonito flakes should move in the heat — that is how you know the dish is hot enough to serve.
What should I serve with Yakisoba?
A cold beer; Takoyaki, for the full festival spread; Extra beni shoga.
How should Yakisoba be stored?
Best immediately. Keeps 2 days refrigerated; reheat in a very hot pan, never a microwave.
Is Yakisoba suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is dairy-free. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Yakisoba?
About 688 kcal per serving, with 26 g protein, 82 g carbohydrate and 28 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutritional Highlights
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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