When you’re feeling under the weather (or, ahem, perhaps hit the town a bit too hard last night) these nourishing, comforting feel-good yakisoba noodles are where it’s at. Seriously simple to make, but they’ll totally help set you on the path to recovery.
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
20 minutes
SERVES
2
Ingredients
200g (7 oz) dried yakisoba noodles (or any noodle of your choice)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs (optional)
200g (7 oz) bacon, cut into pieces roughly 3-4cm (about 1.5”) long
1 small onion, sliced
4cm (1.5”) piece ginger, finely julienned
4cm (1.5”) piece fresh turmeric, finely julienned
2 tbsp finely chopped Japanese pickled ginger
5 small cabbage leaves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup finely julienned carrot
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons
Yakisoba sauce:
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce
Steps
-
Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add the noodles and cook to just short of the cooking time on the packet (or until they’re just tender). Then drain them and rinse under running tap water until completely cold. This stops the cooking process so they don’t overcook.
-
For the yakisoba sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.
-
If you’re making an Asian crispy fried egg to serve with your noodles, heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully crack in an egg. Use a spatula to splash the oil over the egg white as it cooks. When the edges are crispy and the yolk is cooked to your liking, transfer to a plate lined with paper to drain. Repeat with the remaining egg.
-
Drain all but one teaspoon of the oil from your pan. Place it back over a medium-high heat. Add the bacon and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until just starting to crisp. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add the ginger, turmeric and pickled ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds. Then add the cabbage and the carrot and stir-fry for another minute until the cabbage is just started to char at the edges.
-
Add the cooked noodles and the yakisoba sauce. Toss until well combined and the sauce has thickened slightly, then toss through the spring onion. Remove from heat and divide among serving bowls. Top with an Asian crispy egg, if using.
What does yakisoba mean?
Yakisoba literally translates to ‘fried noodle’, which is exactly what the dish is. It’s a popular dish in Japanese cuisine, and is a noodle recipe consisting of fried noodles served up with meat, veg, and a thick sweet-ish sauce to round it all out.
What is the difference between yakisoba and ramen?
If you’re a lover of all things ramen and you want to branch out into stir-fried noodle recipe territory, yakisoba is a really great place to start. The two dishes are very different (equally delicious, though), with ramen being noodles served in a broth with all the fixings, and yakisoba being a stir-fried noodle dish chock full of all your fave veg and protein.
I can’t find yakisoba noodles. What should I use instead?
If you’re on the hunt for yakisoba noodles, your first port of call should be your local Asian grocer. Yakisoba noodles are a type of Chinese-style noodle that are made using wheat flour and are NOT egg noodles, despite their similar yellow hue. If you can’t get your hands on dried yakisoba noodles, you can substitute them with just about any type of noodle you can find in your local supermarket. Substitutions like soba noodles, ramen noodles and udon noodles replicate the unique taste of yakisoba without any compromise on texture. You’ll be adding yakisoba to your fave rotation of noodle recipes in no time!
So yum!
Love the flavors and ease of making Marion’s Feel Good Yakisoba. This was the first of Marion’s recipes that I ever tried, and it’s been a go-to ever since. So YUM!
Instant go-to dinner recipe
The recipe is solid and a bi-weekly dinner for 2.