Japanese Stir-Fry Noodles Yakisoba (焼きそば)

No kidding, this recipe truly worth a try. The yakisoba was so good that I was planned for 6 servings, but ended up with 4 gigantic plate of food. Why? Because such comforting recipe can be too dangerous and making eaters wanting for more. I had to re-arrange the portion to satisfy that growing appetite.

Japanese stir-fry noodles yakisoba (焼きそば) -

Ingredients (supposedly 6 servings)?

• 2 packs/1200 grams yakisoba noodles (yellow and slightly oiled noodles)
• 320 grams ground pork
• 6 to 8 slices pork loin
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/2 small cabbage
• 6 eggs
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Some Katsuobushi
• Some Japanese mayonnaise 
• Some dried seaweed flakes
• Some beni shōga/red pickled ginger (optional)

How?  

Peel and slice the onion. Chop the cabbage into smaller pieces. Season the pork loin slices with some salt and black pepper on both sides.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil then quickly add in the yakisoba or selected oiled yellow noodles. This is only to wash away extra oil, so a quick dip will do. Drain and set aside for later use.

Prepare a wok or a big non-stick pan, drizzle about 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and turn to medium high heat. Once warmed up, break in the eggs one by one to make sunny side up eggs. Sear till the edges of the egg white turn slightly browned or tiny bit burnt, but make sure the center yolk remains slightly undercooked. Make the sunny side up eggs in two or three batches if needed, for instance, if the cookware is not wide enough. Once the eggs are ready, scoop out for later use.

Use the same cookware, add in 1 more tablespoon of olive oil if the surface is too dry. Continue to use medium high heat, transfer pork slices over and sear till slightly colored. Flip and continue to sear till colored on the other side. Again, scoop out for later use.

Still using the same cookware and medium high heat. This time, add in ground pork and stir-fry till about half way cooked through. Add in onion slices and cabbage. Turn to high heat. Cook till the cabbage softened, or till it reaches desired texture. Some like it soft, some like it crunchy, so the cooking time varies here.

Transfer drained noodles over and give it a quick mix. Pour in 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 4 tablespoons oyster sauce, and 2 tablespoons water. The ratio is about 2:2:1 for Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, and water. Mix well, and continue to cook for 30 seconds to a minute. Taste and adjust with extra seasonings if needed.

Arrange the yakisoba to serving plates. Top each serving with 1 to 2 pork loin slices. Also top each serving with one sunny side up egg. Generously drizzle Japanese mayonnaise all over and sprinkle some dried seaweed flakes. Add some katsuobushi right before serving, so that the katsuobushi will start "dancing" when in contact with heat, making a pleasing visual presentation.

If red pickled ginger is available, serve along with the yakisoba.

This recipe makes a good bento/lunch box meal too. However, in that case, perhaps try to mix in the katsuobushi with the noodles instead of adding on top. Even though you won't be able to see dancing katsuobushi, at least the flavors are still up there, comforting and making one wanting for more.   

Extended Reading:

• Mentaiko and soy milk udon 明太子豆乳烏龍麵
• Black yakiudon (焼きうどん)