Yakisoba is a popular fried noodle dish in Japan made with soba or chuckamen noodles, protein, vegetables, and a sweet sauce. It is served with various toppings and can be found in restaurants, festivals, street vendors, and shops. Instant yakisoba is also available in convenience stores.
Yakisoba is a fried noodle dish popular in Japan. Originating in China and very similar to Chow Mein, it’s made with one of two different types of noodles, protein, vegetables, and a sweet sauce cooked together in an iron skillet. The dish is often served with a variety of toppings. Yakisoba is on the menu at restaurants and festivals and is sold by street vendors and shops.
This Japanese dish can be made with soba noodles, also known as buckwheat noodles or chuckamen noodles, which are made from wheat flour. The latter are the most common noodles in traditional Japanese ramen. In mainland Japan, thinly sliced pork is the most common protein source used; in Okinawa, ham is a popular choice. In addition to meat and noodles, thinly sliced vegetables are cooked in the dish; onion, cabbage and carrots are the most common.
The noodles are boiled first, then added to the sauteed vegetables and protein to cook briefly. Yakisoba is typically cooked in an iron pan or on an iron stovetop; the pan is usually flat, with plenty of room for the dish to brown slightly. Cooking yakisoba in too small a pan often results in the dish boiling rather than frying; frying food in an iron pan is known as teppanyaki in Japanese.
Once the food is cooked, a sweet sauce is added to the pan and the food is further cooked until the noodles absorb the sauce. Yakisoba sauce, often sold in prepared form in stores, is similar to a thick Worcestershire sauce, with a hint of soy, garlic and brown sugar. Yakisoba is often served with condiments. In Japan, mayonnaise, pickled ginger, dried fish flakes and ground seaweed are popular.
Different versions of the fried noodle dish are served in almost every Japanese restaurant and is a common family meal in Japanese homes. Street vendors often prepare the dish during festivals and it can be found at stands, similar to hot dog stands in the United States, in large Japanese cities. Vendors often offer a variety of meats and vegetables, and customers can choose what they want in their plate of fried noodles.
In Japan, it is common for mobile vendors to drive into residential areas that serve one style of food. This Japanese dish is often served this way. Vendors usually provide different communities with a schedule, and on the night the van will pass, residents leave a light on indicating they would like to buy it. As with street vendors, yakisoba vans often offer a variety of options.
Prepackaged instant yakisoba is also common in convenience stores in Japan, as well as many convenience stores around the world. Water is added to dehydrated noodles, meat and vegetables and then cooked. The sauce is then mixed into the dish and is ready to eat. Larger convenience stores in Japan often serve fresh fried noodles; this is a popular lunch for Japanese workers.
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