easy vegetable yakisoba Japanese pan fried noodles

Here is my Easy Vegetable Yakisoba recipe that you can use to make and eat as-is, or customize with your favorite toppings! It makes for a quick and easy lunch during the week or a speedy side dish to your main course. The best part about this yakisoba recipe is that you can customize it to accommodate any leftovers in your fridge.

What Is Yakisoba

Yakisoba is a popular Japanese dish that literally means “fried noodles”. Traditionally it has cabbage, onions, sliced pork, and ginger, but there are versions that also have mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and other seasonings.

It became popular in the 1930’s when restaurants and street stalls began selling these pan fried noodles to their customers. As the decades past, the dish became more and more popular and became a mainstay at summer festivals, izakaya restaurants and even was turned into an instant noodle franchise.

Yakisoba is traditionally cooked on a teppanyaki, which is a large flat iron griddle plate. This method of cooking is also used to make yakiniku and okonomiyaki, two other popular Japanese foods.

One of the more novel versions of yakisoba comes from Okinawa, where American occupation during the 1940’s introduced new flavors into the local cuisine. As a result, you can find Okinawan yakisoba containing spam, hot dogs, ketchup and other Western ingredients. It’s a lighter, slightly sweeter version of traditional yakisoba and it is surprisingly delicious!

Tips For Making Perfect Vegetable Yakisoba Every Time

Maintain a high heat (keep the pan hot so you can achieve that sought-after charred crispy taste.)
Cut the vegetables into similar sizes (keeping the same size helps to even out the cooking time.)
Use noodles that are slightly underdone (draining the noodles 1 minute early helps to keep their texture during the frying process.)
Keep it moving (Stir constantly while cooking yakisoba so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.)

Substitutes for Tonkatsu Sauce

If you eat a lot of Japanese food, chances are you have have heard of tonkatsu and the yummy sauce it is served with. Tonkatsu sauce is one of those versatile sauces that works in just about any Japanese recipe that calls for a dark and glossy sauce. It has a complex taste and caramelizes really well when exposed to heat. It’s normally used as a serving sauce or as a component of a recipe to make a dish darker, richer, and sweeter.

The popular brand in Japan is called Bull-Dog Sauce (Usuta-So-Su) and you can find it at Asian markets and sometimes larger grocery stores in big cities. You can also find it on Amazon if you’re having no luck in your town. “Usuta” is Japanese shortform for “Worcestershire”, and it became popular with the introduction of Western-style Yoshoku cooking.

If you can’t find a bottle of Bull-Dog Sauce, here are some handy substitutes:

3 tbsp A1 Steak Sauce + 1 tbsp brown sugar or molasses
3 tbsp HP Sauce +1 tbsp brown sugar or molasses
3 tbsp Ketchup + 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Substitutes for Worcestershire Sauce

Worcestershire sauce is a pungent sauce that is normally used for seasoning steak and red meat, and is made from vinegar, anchovies, spices, and other ingredients. It’s meant to enhance the flavor of meat when grilled or cooked at a high heat.

While it’s recommended for this recipe, not everyone is going to have Worcestershire Sauce on hand. If you can’t find this sauce at your grocery store here are some substitutes that can help out in a pinch. The flavor won’t be exactly the same, but what you’re aiming for is the right balance of tang, sweetness, saltiness, and “darkness” in taste, which comes from soy sauce, oyster sauce or fish sauce.

1 tsp Oyster sauce +1tsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp vinegar + 1 tsp. ketchup
1 tbsp fish sauce + 1 tsp soy sauce + 1tsp sugar