Tuesday 21 February 2012

Aaaannnnnd we're back!

After nearly 4 months since my last post (time really does fly) we're back with a firm household favourite and quick fix dish; Yakisoba 焼きそば! (Literally fried noodle!)

Best enjoyed with a cold beer
I would put this dish as one of the more popular meals to come out of Japan. It is in every Japanese restaurant menu I've been too and is both delicious and so very easy to make! In Japan, yakisoba is usually seen as a form of fast food/junk food which you can buy in convenience stores, as instant noodles, in ready-to-cook fresh noodle packs from the supermarket and even appearing in sandwich form! Despite this, it can be a really healthy and quick meal to prepare if you are tired after a hard day of work!

I think this dish is great if you have vegetables in the fridge that you need to use up as it is so versatile. Anything goes!



Any left over vegetable will work a treat in this dish!

Yakisoba- serves 2

2 slices salt cured bacon (rashers) but into cubes or strips (alternatively very finely sliced pork
1/2 carrot cut into julienne strips
1/2 onion diced
1 small green or orange pepper cut into slices
3-4 cabbage leaves sliced into thin strips
1 knob of ginger finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 portions of vacuum packed noodles (or dried noodles cooked in boiling water and drained)
3-4 Tbsp Yakisoba Sauce (I use Otafuku YakiSoba sauce which you can buy here)
A dash of beer
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1. Prepare all the meat and vegetables

An array of different coloured vegetables can make the dish even more appetizing!

 2. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the rashers until slightly browned.

mmmm rashers!!
3. Add the carrots to the rashers and fry for 2 minutes to soften and then add the remaining vegetables.





4. If using the vacuum packed noodles, rinse them under some boiling water and gentle break them apart with chopsticks. Add the noodles to pan and mix using a set of chopstick.

I find using a spatula quite tricky as the noodles and the meat and vegetables don't mix as effectively.

A great way to practice the chopstick skills!

5. Stir fry for another 3 minutes ensuring that the noodles don't stick to the pan. Then add the yakisoba sauce and mix well.

You can adjust the amount of sauce to your tastes...I was going for a mild taste this time around.
6. Add a dash of beer to the pan and mix well. This adds a nice depth to the overall flavour of the dish.


 Serve in bowls and add a dash of Kewpie Mayonnaise  on top for an authentic Japanese taste!


Yummy Yakisoba!

This dish is great to make as part of a larger buffet/Izakaya meal. Present it on a large platter for everyone to enjoy with the Kewpie Mayonnaise on the side!


いただきます!!

I have a backlog of recipes to put up here so keep an eye out!

Thanks for reading!