Savor the Flavor: 5 Mouth-Watering Yakisoba Recipes

Yakisoba is a classic street food in Japan, and part of the charm is that it’s often prepared and eaten outdoors.

I first tried yakisoba noodles in a Japanese restaurant in my hometown when I was around 10 years old, and I fell in love with them. It was a staple of my mother’s diet while she was a resident of Japan.

I always assumed it would be too difficult to prepare at home. Only when I recently found a recipe online did I understand that it was not only easy to make but also inexpensive. You can prepare a yakisoba recipe even with stale vegetables that are about to spoil. I enjoy using cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and chopped onions.

What is Yakisoba?

Japanese stir-fried noodles called yakisoba are topped with yakisoba sauce, which is a sauce akin to Worcestershire sauce.

You can add veggies of your choice and proteins like chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp. This is a simple one-pot recipe, and vegetarians can replace meat with tofu or mushrooms.

This Japanese stir fried noodle dish came into existence in the 1930s and became a popular street food in a few years. The meaning of yaki is grilled, and the meaning of soba is noodles. 

Five different variations of Yakisoba noodles:

Basic or Classic Yakisoba:

About the recipe:

This classic Yakisoba noodle dish will taste similar to Japanese chow mein. Yakisoba sauce is sweet, savory and tangy all at the same time similar to Okonomiyaki sauce.

Ingredients:

Stir-fried noodles

Onion

Vegetable oil

Carrot

Cabbage

Bean sprout

Thinly sliced pork

Yakisoba sauce

Directions:

1. Boil the noodles as mentioned in the package. Rinse them thoroughly with cold water to get rid of the starch. You can also add two tablespoons of oil to prevent the yakisoba noodles from sticking to each other.
2. Chop the vegetables and keep them ready. Heat a teppan or a heavy-bottomed pan. Add oil and sliced pork to the pan or teppan and cook them until they’re not pink in color anymore.
3. Add onions, carrots, bean sprouts, and cabbage to the pan and cook them a bit. Now, add the noodles and toss them well.
4. Pour the yakisoba sauce at high heat over the veggies and noodles and continuously stir them until the noodles are a uniform color. Your classic yakisoba noodle dish is ready!

Lemon and Scallion Yakisoba noodles:

About the recipe:

This lemon and scallion yakisoba is a popular combination in Japan and tastes divine. Compared to the sauce one, this is lighter.

Ingredients:

Sesame oil

Grated ginger

Grated garlic

Thinly sliced pork belly

Scallion

Sake  

Chicken bouillon

Salt

Pepper

Lemon juice

Green onions  

Directions:

1. Add and heat sesame oil in a teppan or a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the grated ginger and garlic to the oil and sauté well.
2. Cook the sliced pork belly until it turns white in color. Add the boiled stir-fried noodles to the pan and toss well.
3. Add sake, chicken bouillon, a dash of salt, pepper, and lemon juice to the noodles and give them a good mix. Garnish the yakisoba noodle dish with chopped spring onions.

Pork Kimchi Yakisoba 

For a simple evening meal, try this tasty pork noodle recipe with kimchi. This fusion dish is more Korean with a Japanese twist.

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced pork belly

Sesame oil

Salt

Scallion

Pepper

Kimchi

Yakisoba noodles

Sake

BBQ sauce

Green onions

Directions:

1. Add and heat sesame oil in a teppan or a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the sliced pork belly to the oil and sauté well.
2. Cook the pork belly until it turns white in color. Add the boiled stir-fried noodles to the pan and toss well.
3. Add kimchi, sake, a dash of salt, pepper, and BBQ sauce to the noodles and give them a good mix. Garnish the yakisoba noodle dish with chopped green onions.

Seafood Yakisoba:

This seafood yakisoba recipe lets you enjoy a seafood-centric take on a traditional Japanese dish. This form of yakisoba has a milder flavor than the usual saucy yakisoba and gets much of its umami flavor from stir-fried shrimp.

Ingredients:

Sesame oil

Grated ginger and garlic

Thinly sliced pork belly

Shrimp

Squid

Quail eggs

Bok choy

Salt & pepper

Chicken bouillon

Yakisoba sauce

Yakisoba noodles

Directions:

1. Add and heat sesame oil in a teppan or a heavy-bottomed pan. Add grated ginger and garlic and cook until the raw smell goes away.
2. Stir-fry the thinly sliced pork, shrimp, squid, Bok choy, and quail eggs until they are cooked. Add the boiled stir-fried noodles to the pan and toss well.
3. Add chicken bouillon, a dash of salt, pepper, and yakisoba sauce at high heat to the noodles and give them a good mix. Garnish the yakisoba noodle dish with aonori.

Vegetable Yakisoba noodles:

About the recipe:

A fantastic way to include a ton of vibrant vegetables in a dinner is with this vegetable yakisoba recipe. This is a tasty blend of textures and flavors because of the inclusion of carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and kale.

Ingredients:

Oil

Shiitake mushrooms

Carrots

Bell pepper

Cabbage

Onion

Scallions

Sesame seeds

Directions:

1.     Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and stir fry shiitake mushrooms in the oil. Add other chopped veggies to the pan and cook them for two minutes.

2.     Add the noodles to the veggies and mushrooms and toss them well. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and yakisoba sauce to the noodles and give them a good mix.

3.     Garnish the yakisoba noodle dish with fried sesame seeds. Your nutritious vegetable yakisoba is ready!

How to make homemade yakisoba sauce

The traditional Japanese stir-fried noodles known as yakisoba are usually seasoned with yakisoba sauce. This versatile sauce, which is both sweet and savory, may be used in any stir-fry recipe.

You can make yakisoba sauce at home by combining just five ingredients. They are:

Soy sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Tomato sauce

Oyster sauce

Brown sugar

Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, and your homemade yakisoba sauce is ready. You can also buy yakisoba sauce in any Asian or Japanese grocery store.

Is Yakisoba different from Chow Mein?

Japanese stir-fried noodles are known as yakisoba. It shares Chinese roots with the equally well-known Chow Mein and is one of Japan’s favorite comfort dishes.

After World War II, yakisoba grew apart from any traces of Chow Mein and became the modern Japanese dish it is today.

From that point on, yakisoba developed as the go-to snack food since it was convenient, affordable, and quick to prepare. 

What is the best Yakisoba noodle recipe?

The best yakisoba has a flavor that is intense yet beautifully balanced, and it has an addictive taste.

The best yakisoba noodle dish can be made with the following tips:

1.     Choose the right noodles

2.     Add the right yakisoba sauce

3.     Garnish with bonito flakes, aonori and beni shoga

4.     Add the sauce at high heat and caramelize it properly