Yakisoba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yakisoba (焼きそば?), literally "fried noodles", is a dish often sold at festivals in Japan. It originates from Chinese chow mein, but has been integrated into Japanese cuisine like ramen. Even though soba is part of the word, yakisoba noodles are not made from buckwheat, but are similar to ramen noodles and made from wheat flour.
Yakisoba is most familiarly served on a plate either as a main entree or as a side dish. Another popular way to prepare and serve yakisoba in Japan is to pile the noodles into a bun sliced down the middle in the style of hot-dog, and garnish the top with a healthy squirt of mayonnaise and shreds of pickled ginger. Called yakisoba-pan, pan meaning bread, it is commonly available at local matsuri (festivals) or conbini (convenience stores).
Yakisoba is usually flavored with yakisoba sauce (similar to okonomiyaki sauce), aonori and beni shoga.
Cooking it is very simple: heat a frying pan with a little vegetable oil and sautee bite-sized slices of beef, chicken, or pork, along with vegetables like cabbage, onions or carrots. Add steamed noodles, pour in a little water to untangle the noodles, and cook until the water is gone. Then add sauce and serve.
Sometimes, Japanese white Udon is used as a replacement of Chinese style Soba and called Yakiudon. This variation was started in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Instant yakisoba, such as "UFO", is commonly sold in Japanese supermarkets and even in Chinese supermakets. It can be prepared simply by adding boiling water.
The Sapporo Ichiban ramen company has long made a variety of instant "yakisoba," which is composed of dehydrated ramen noodles, dried seaweed and a flavor pack which resembles the sauce on real yakisoba. The noodles are supposed to be rehydrated like regular ramen, then stir fried with the flavor packet, shredded chinese cabbage and meat and served with the seaweed sprinkled on top. There is also now a variety of this instant yakisoba available in the US made by Maruchan, a popular instant ramen company. The dish features very flavorful dehydrated vegetables that resemble carrots, corn, onions, and cabbage, as well as dehydrated instant ramen.
Yakisoba is served daily at Camp Hanson, United States Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan and has become a favored dish among the U.S. Marines. Consequently, yakisoba is served at U.S. Marine Corps bases around the world and has acquired an ever-growing fan base.
[edit] External links
- Photo of yakisoba with oyster sauce and nori, made with thick noodles like udon.
- Photo of instant yakisoba
- Photo of yakisoba being stir-fried
