Yakisoba

Yakisoba, literally meaning fried noodles, is the epitome of Japanese junk food. It brings back wonderful memories for me, such as frying up a giant flat pan of them with large slabs of pork on the gorgeous beaches of Okinawa, or going to summer festivals wearing a yukata, watching fireworks while eating a polystyrene box full of the greasy things.

As such, Mr Jax is currently sitting next to me looking at the photos saying “Choose another picture! That doesn’t look like yakisoba!” (even though he requested and shoved them in his face just yesterday.) While living in Japan, they were the easiest food I could make - buy a packet of pre-cut yakisoba veggies, noodles, a bit of pork and a bottle of sauce and chuck it in a pan until done. 

Here, it’s slightly more difficult. The main reason being that the ingredients just haven’t spread here yet. I was going to attempt my own yakisoba sauce, but then Mr Jax surprised me with a bottle for my birthday. He found it at Johannesburg’s Yamato restaurant. It cost a whopping R60, but I guess Woolies’ ‘wok sauce’ is roughly the same. So if you can’t get to Yamato, or just aren’t willing to pay that much, I will definitely try to make my own sauce in the near future.

The other thing you need is the right noodles. This is somewhat easier. I like using the pictured “Kyushu Ramen” noodles - they’re the most similar to what I used in Japan. (You can get them at any Oriental store - they cost around R20 and have enough in them for 5-6 large servings.) You could also grab a few packets of instant ramen (or probably even 2-Minute Noodles) and cook those up without adding the flavourings. 

Left: Otafuku Yakisoba sauce from Yamato in Joburg.
Right: Kyushu Ramen noodles

Then, the meat... in Japan most of the pork and beef is sliced very thinly for use in dishes such as this, sukiyaki, yakiniku, etc. This doesn’t happen in SA. You ideally want some boneless pork belly or shoulder sliced as thinly as bacon (in fact, I should really try it with bacon!) I challenged my butcher to do it, but the thinnest he could get was 3-4mm, and I had to remove all the bones afterwards. It still worked, though.

Once you’ve got all those, this meal is super easy, and completely worth the effort of finding the above! I’ve cut some sauce and added more vegetables, making it much healthier than your standard Japanese version. This is yet another case where experimentation will reward you. Try any and all vegetables, and it’s great with beef too.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

200g thinly-sliced pork shoulder/belly

1 onion, sliced

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced or julienned

1/2 large cabbage, roughly cut

1/2 red pepper, sliced

Yakisoba/ramen noodles (3 small packets from the Kyushu Ramen type bag)

Yakisoba sauce

Method:

1. On a medium-high heat, heat a small amount of oil in a large wok (or VERY large pan) and cook the onion until softened.
2. Throw in the pork and brown. You can add just a little sauce at this stage to flavour the pork.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and add the carrots. Add just a little water to help steam and soften the carrots.
4. After about 5 minutes, add the cabbage and red pepper. Cook until the cabbage starts to go soft, stirring constantly.
5. Add the noodles (if using the ones suggested, you’ll have to break them up a bit and add a little water.) Mix them in and then start adding your sauce, a little at a time.
6. Keep adding the sauce while mixing. Taste a noodle or two every so often to see if you like it. I use about a quarter of the bottle - some people like the flavour stronger, some weaker.
7. Once it’s the flavour you like, remove from heat and serve immediately. Mr Jax likes to add mayo on top, and many people enjoy it topped with a soft fried egg. I personally like it shoved into my face as fast as my chopsticks can carry it.

Raaaaamen!

I felt that, with this blog having a Japanese-food bias, there was no better food for me to start on than the ubiquitous ramen.

Ramen is a type of noodle, originally hailing from China and the inspiration for the South African culinary atrocity, 2-Minute Noodles.

In Japan you can find a ramen shop in any corner, selling the noodles in a variety of broths with toppings as diverse as seaweed, eggs, ham, shellfish and an array of different vegetables. In any grocery store you’ll find at least one full shelf dedicated solely to instant ramen, and convenience stores have special limited-edition varieties, and a hot-water urn next to the counter for businessmen to indulge in a quick lunch.

It’s a crying shame that someone hasn’t yet got hold of the idea in South Africa, as I believe they would make a killing from a decent ramen store catering to South African tastes.

However, thanks to the many Oriental stores here, we can at least partake in a bowl of decent instant ramen.

The best one I’ve sampled from any of the stores in Joburg and Pretoria (and it can be found at almost any of them) is Nissin’s “Demae Icchou” (出前一丁) ramen. 

 They come packaged similarly to 2-Minute Noodles, and the way you make them is similar too, except the part where you empty the broth (and thus all the flavour) out at the end.

They come in myriad different flavours. Some of the ones we currently have at home include Kobe Teriyaki Beef, Shoyu (soy sauce), Miso, Chicken, Prawn, Roast Beef and Satay. There are at least 20 different flavours, though, so get to a shop and check them out yourself, although you may end up like us, just going down the aisle and throwing two of each into the basket. They only cost about R5 each, so it’s a perfect post-latest-petrol-hike meal.

The directions are written on the back of each packet, but it’s simply a matter of dumping the noodles in a bowl, pouring in 500ml of boiling water, sticking it in the microwave for 3 minutes and then pouring in the flavouring packets and stirring.

After that, though, you can make it truly special. For inspiration, follow the packet images as to what to put on top, but really, only your imagination limits you. I’ve done it before with strips of teriyaki chicken, ample slabs of caramelised pork belly and blanched fresh Chinese cabbage.

Today I made a simple lunch of the Kobe Beef Teriyaki flavour (my favourite, although, to be honest, it is a very long way from a Kobe steak) with added fresh coriander, sesame seeds and boiled egg.

Two warnings, though:

First, make sure you gobble it up right as it’s done. Don’t leave it standing or else the noodles will go soggy.

Second, as delicious as it is, it’s not exactly heart-smart. As with a large proportion of pre-packaged “done in 2 seconds” food, it contains a high amount of sodium. So try not to over do it.