We are making my favorite, Yakisoba noodles with the savory flavors of pork, shrimp and squid. Enjoy the delicious yakisoba with plenty of vegetables and meat!
First, let's prepare the noodles. This small metal plate will help to avoid a boil over, but it is optional.
Instead of yakisoba noodles, we are using these fresh thick ramen noodles. Chef really enjoys the gooey and chewy texture.
Boil a generous amount of water in a pot, loosen up the noodles and place them into the boiling water. Lightly stir with chopsticks to keep the noodles from sticking together.
Cook for about 3 minutes instead of 5 minutes as instructed on the package. You will be stir-frying the noodles later so they need to be a little undercooked when using ramen noodles.
Now, strain the noodles with a mesh strainer. Pour water over them to cool.
Then, submerge the noodles in a large amount of cold water and rub them to remove the gooey texture on the surface. We are demonstrating every step on the counter, but you should rinse them thoroughly with running water.
Hit the strainer against a kitchen towel many times to remove the excess water thoroughly.
Place the noodles onto a plate. Add a small amount of sesame oil and toss to coat.
Let's make the seasoning. Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sake. Dissolve the chicken stock powder in the hot water and add it to the sauce.
Add the pepper. And stir to combine.
And now, let's prepare the ingredients. Thaw the frozen shrimp and squid, add the potato starch and toss to coat.
Rinse them in a bowl, remove, and rinse with clean water.
Place the seafood onto a paper towel and remove the excess water. Now, the unwanted fishy smell and any sand or mud should be thoroughly removed.
Place the seafood onto a plate along with the pork belly slices cut into 5 cm (2") pieces. Sprinkle on a very small amount of salt or you may skip this step to reduce the total amount of salt. Add the pepper and spray on the sake.
Add the potato starch and lightly toss to coat. The potato starch will create a pleasant texture and also help the ingredients to absorb the seasoning well.
Next, remove the core from the halved onion, and cut it into 1 cm (0.4") thick wedges.
Slice the carrot into 2 mm (0.1") slices. Stack the slices on top of each other and slice them into very thin strips.
Cut the cabbage leaves into 4 to 5 cm (1.6"~2") bite-size pieces.
And cut the garlic chives into 4 cm (1.6") pieces.
Let's make the yakisoba. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a pan.
Place the boiled ramen onto it and distribute the noodles evenly.
Occasionally press the yakisoba with a spatula and fry one side for about 2 minutes.
When the surface is lightly browned, flip it over. Brown the other side as well.
Then, place the noodles onto a plate.
Now, heat a half teaspoonful of vegetable oil. Add the chopped ginger root and bring out the aroma.
Add the pork belly slices.
Don't confuse this plain sliced pork with bacon, which is salted and cured pork. Flip the pork slices over.
When the pork is almost cooked, add the shrimp and squid and stir-fry.
When cooked, place the pork and seafood onto a tray. Be sure not to overcook the seafood otherwise it may become tough.
And now, add slightly less than 1 teaspoonful of vegetable oil. Add the cabbage leaves, carrot and onion.
Stir-fry the vegetables. Use a minimum amount of oil to keep the yakisoba from becoming too oily.
When the vegetables are slightly softened, add the saved pork, shrimp and squid.
Stir the combined seasoning thoroughly, and pour it over the vegetables.
Stir to coat the ingredients with the sauce.
Then, add the noodles and garlic chives.
The noodles are added at this stage to keep them from absorbing too much sauce. This will help to balance the seasoning between the noodles and vegetables, making the yakisoba more delicious! When the sauce is distributed evenly, it is ready.
Place the yakisoba onto a plate with tongs. Then, arrange the ingredients on top to make it more presentable.
Recipe Notes
You can also use bell peppers and bok choy instead of the garlic chives. In that case, stir-fry them along with the other vegetables.
We boiled the fresh ramen noodles which are heartier and more filling than regular yakisoba noodles but you can also use packaged steamed yakisoba noodles instead.