I eat this Beef Yakisoba more than almost anything else in my regular rotation. It’s a stir-fried noodle dish with thin-sliced beef, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms. What keeps me coming back time and again is the glossy sauce that clings to every noodle. It’s sweet from oyster sauce, salty from soy sauce, and a little smoky from Japanese Worcestershire.
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Ingredient Notes
Most of what’s in this dish is straightforward once you’re in the kitchen. A couple of things are worth knowing before you shop.
What Are Yakisoba Noodles?
Yakisoba noodles are Japanese wheat noodles made with kansui, an alkaline mineral makes them springy. Yaki means fried or grilled and soba means noodles, but these are different from soba noodles, which are made from buckwheat. They aren’t interchangeable as their textures are quite different.
Look for fresh or frozen yakisoba noodles at Japanese or Asian markets. Chuka soba is the same noodle, just sold dried. Fresh or dried ramen noodles work too, as long as they’re not instant. In a real pinch, you could use chow mein noodles or even spaghetti.
What’s the best beef for yakisoba?
For the beef, look for a tender cut that you can slice thin. Flank steak, flat iron, ribeye, or top sirloin all work. Some Japanese markets sell beef sliced paper-thin for sukiyaki and shabu-shabu, which makes things easy. It costs more than slicing your own, but the texture is exactly right. If you’re slicing it yourself, freeze the beef for 20 to 30 minutes first. It firms up just enough to make thin, even slices possible.
What goes in Yakisoba Sauce?
Japanese Worcestershire sauce is one of the key ingredientsl It is sweeter and less sharp than the British original, though it’s made with similar ingredients. I like the Bulldog brand specifically. It’s the one most Japanese and Asian markets carry. It gives the sauce the right balance. A British-style Worcestershire like Lea & Perrins works as a substitute, though the sauce will come out a shade sharper and less rounded.
Oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and chile paste round it out. These condiments keep for months in the refrigerator, and you’ll use them again in other stir-fries. For the chile paste, I like sambal oelek, which is just ground fresh chiles with vinegar and salt, so it’s all about the chiles. You can substitute chile garlic paste, but it will change the flavor of the dish a bit.
How to Make Beef Yakisoba
This noodle stir-fry comes together in one skillet. Start the noodles in boiling water while you get everything else ready.
Once the noodles are cooked, brown the beef in a wok or large skillet until it picks up real color, then transfer it to a plate. The onion and carrot go into the same pan next, followed by the mushrooms. Next, you’ll layer everything else in: cabbage and green onions first for a quick wilt, then the noodles and the beef you set aside.
The sauce goes in last and gets tossed through everything rather than poured over the top. I use tongs for this part. Spend a couple of minutes of tossing over the heat to ensure that every noodle strand is coated. Then simply garnish and serve.
What to Serve With It
Beef Yakisoba is a complete meal on its own, with noodles, meat, and vegetables all in the one skillet, so you don’t need a lot of sides with it. I like to add a Japanese Cucumber Salad or a quick batch of Cucumber Kimchi for crunchy, tart contrast. If I’m feeding a bigger group, I’ll add Yaki Onigiri or a couple of Soy Sauce Eggs on the side. You might also want to try Shrimp Yakisoba for a different twist.
Beef Yakisoba
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- ¾ pound thinly sliced beef
- 8 ounces dried yakisoba or chuka soba noodles or 16 ounces fresh or frozen yakisoba noodles
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
- ¼ green cabbage thinly sliced
- ½ onion diced
- 4 green onions sliced
- 6 shiitake mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- Black and white sesame seeds optional garnish
- Red pickled ginger optional garnish
For the sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin
- 2 teaspoons chile paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Cook the noodles al dente in a pot of boiling water—about 2 minutes for dried chuka soba noodles or 1 minute for fresh noodles. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Leave in a colander in the sink to drain while you continue with the recipe.
- In a bowl whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, chile paste, and sugar.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 1 ½ to 4 minutes (this will depend on how thick the strips are.) transfer the meat to a plate or bowl.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet along with the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet, along with the remaining tablespoon of oil, if needed. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the mushrooms soften.
- Add the cabbage and green onions along with the browned beef and the noodles. Cook, stirring to mix well, for about 2 minutes until everything is warmed through and the cabbage is beginning to wilt.
- Add the sauce and cook, tossing to coat the noodles well with the sauce and mix everything together, for about 2 more minutes.
- Serve hot, garnished with sesame seeds, scallions, and/or pickled ginger, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
As with so many Asian noodle recipes – or Asian recipes in general – there is a ton of prep, but the actual cooking is very quick. Turned out very well. I will reduce the Worcestershire sauce next time I make it, as it’s a very assertive flavor and 2 tbsp was a lot.