Yakisoba

Made from scratch, this classic japanese street food is super delicious and leaps and bounds better than any frozen, microwaved yakisoba you could buy.

yakisoba sauce:
Getting the sauce right was somewhat of a maddening endeavor.  I literally wasted bottles of worcestershire, soy sauce, honey, etc. trying to get it right.  I actually did find a bottle of yakisoba sauce in my fridge (no idea who bought that) but it was too sweet.  I finally settled on a recipe that I believe is the most well balanced.  I don't think it's perfect, but it's the best I can do for now.

ingredients:
enough for 3 people

1.  1/4 cup soy sauce
2.  1/4 cup worsestershire
3.  1 TBL honey 
4.  2 tsp ketchup
note: - be super precise with the measuring.  even being 1 tsp off could throw off the flavor completely.
 
recipe:
1.  Combine everything in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir every minute until mixture has reduced and become thickened.  When the top of the sauce forms a thin plasticy skin, it is done.  Pour into a small bowl and allow to cool.


yakisboa ingredients:
1.  2 servings of fresh asian egg noodles
2.  8 slices of pork belly, cut into 1" chunks
3.  1 clove of garlic 
4.  1 cup of cabbage leaves, cut into 1" chunks
5.  1/2 cup of carrots, cut into 1/8" thick strips
6.  1/4 cup of roughly chopped long green onions.
7.  1/2 cup of bean sprouts 

garnish:
8.  2 TBL bonito flakes
9.  1 TBL of aonori seaweed flakes
10.  2 tsp pickled ginger (not the sushi kind)

recipe:
1.  Heat up a large pot of water until boiling.  Lightly season with salt then cook egg noodles until they are just under done (1 min from being done).  Remove from water and set aside while preparing the rest of the yakisoba.
note: - The noodles will not keep well, so make sure to make the yakisoba asap.
2.  Heat a large pan on medium high heat then add pork belly.  Saute for 2 min just until fat is released.  It does not have to be cooked through as it will finish cooking later.
note: - I don't add any oil to the dish.  I feel the oil released from the pork is good enough and I found the yakisoba to be a bit greasy if I added any extra oil.
3.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add carrots and cabbage, lightly salt and pepper, and saute for a solid 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4.  Add bean sprouts and green onions and saute for 2 minutes.
5.  Add noodles and mix.
6.  Add 1 tsp of sauce, mix, then taste.  Be cautious when adding in the sauce.  Add just 1 tsp at a time.
note: - Adding too much sauce can completely over power the entire dish.  Add a very small amount at a time, taste, and add a few drops more if needed.
7.  Plate, garnish with bonito flakes, aonori seaweed flakes, and pickled ginger.
8.  Serve and eat while hot.