Yakisoba (Japanese Stir-Fried Noodles)
Serves: 3 to 4
A delicious recipe for Yakisoba, or Japanese Stir-Fried Noodles, using pork belly, cabbage and carrots. Make this tasty dish in 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights! Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
For the Yakisoba Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Stir-Fried Noodles
- 500 g (18 oz) yakisoba noodles, pre-cooked in vacuum-sealed packets
- 300 g (11 oz) pork belly
- sea salt
- freshly cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, thickly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 1 small red capsicum, bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Chinese cabbage, thickly sliced
- spring onions, (scallions) or chives, chopped into small batons
Instructions
To Make the Yakisoba Sauce
- Make the Yakisoba Sauce by mixing all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
To Prepare the Noodles
- Place the yakisoba noodles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Use a pair of chopsticks or tongs to gently loosen and separate the noodles - this should take just 3-5 seconds.
- Drain the noodles and set aside.
To Prepare the Pork
- Remove the rind from the pork belly.
- Then thinly slice the pork.
- Season the pork generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large wok or non-stick frying pan over high heat.
- Cook the pork belly in batches until the meat is nicely golden and caramelised.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a large plate and set aside.
- There should be about 3 tablespoons of oil now in the pan, most of it being rendered fat from the pork belly. If there is too much oil in the pan, remove the excess oil.
To Cook the Stir-Fry
- Cook the onions and garlic for about 1 minute until they start to release their aroma.
- Add the carrots, capsciums (bell peppers) and cabbage.
- Stir everything together for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Return the pork to the pan, together with the noodles and the Yakisoba Sauce.
- Stir everything together until the noodles have warmed through and they have absorbed all of the sauce.
- Garnish with spring onions (scallions) or chives just before serving.
Kitchen Notes
- VARIATIONS FOR VEGETABLES
You can use almost any vegetable in this recipe. Other suggestions include:
* bok choy, roughly chopped
* green capsicums (bell peppers), thinly sliced
* shitake mushrooms, thickly sliced - VARIATIONS FOR MEAT
You can substitute the pork belly for thinly sliced chicken breast or chicken thigh. - MAKE IT VEGETARIAN
You can make this dish vegetarian by omitting the pork belly and replacing it with thick slices of firm tofu, or just use vegetables. - OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.