Find all the savory, nutty, and umami packed flavors of yakisoba in this simple and delicious recipe. It’s classic Japanese food at its best!
Once a month I make a trip to a couple of my favorite Japanese supermarkets in Manhattan and go on a major shopping spree. I especially love the noodle aisle and all of the different varieties available.
I love dried noodles because they keep for a long time and are so versatile. They’re easy to cook and make a fantastic substitute for a bowl of rice. Cook and dump them in your pan with a few veggies and a homemade stir fry sauce and dinner is served! This vegetable yakisoba took less than 20 minutes to make (which I served with beef yakitori) and cost about ten dollars.
I added some Japanese dried red chilis (chile japones) to my yakisoba because I love the smoky flavor they impart. It’s an ingredient I’ve taken a strong liking to lately. They’re great for intensifying the authentic flavors only found in Asian cuisine.
They’re also really easy to find as most Asian supermarkets sell them. The key to a successful smoke is to infuse the oil (just like when you fry garlic), so add them to the pan at the earliest stage of cooking.
How to Serve Yakisoba
Yakisoba is a pretty filling dish so I recommend serving it with smaller sides to complement the meal. Some of my favorites are:
- Sesame cucumber salad
- Miso soup
- Gomae (Japanese spinach salad)
- Blistered shishito peppers
- Onigiri (rice balls)
- Edamame with soy and sesame sauce
- Tamagoyaki (rolled omelette)
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Vegetable Yakisoba
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy and delicious yakisoba recipe that’s earthy, savory and ready in just 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried red chilis (optional)
- 6 ounce dried chow mein noodles or egg noodles
- 1 small carrot, cut into strips
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 7 shiitake mushrooms, cut into strips
- 4 scallions, cut into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil.
- In a small mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the sauce and stir until sugar has melted.
- In a large pan or wok over high heat, add vegetable oil, garlic and dried chilies and cook for one minute. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for 7 minutes, until tender but still a little crunchy.
- Boil noodles according to directions on the package (usually about 2-3 minutes). Drain, rinse under cold water and drain well.
- Add noodles to the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for a minute.
- Add sauce, sesame seeds and stir well until all the noodles are coated.
- Turn the off the heat, drizzle sesame oil and serve immediately.
Notes
Save the leftover chow mein in a storage container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 6.3g
- Sodium: 872mg
- Fat: 11.5g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23.3g
- Fiber: 3.1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 12.3mg
Good but I’m he soy sauce over powered the other flavours in the dish.
What a great recipes! I loved it. I was wondering if I could substitute snow peas for the carrots? I really care for carrots.
Hi Tanya! You can substitute any veggie you’d like, plus, snow peas and yakisoba are super yummy together!
This was such a great recipe! This chow mein is the perfect heat and has a beautiful depth of flavour that rivals any takeaway. I’m so glad I found it!
Thank you so much Summer! 🙂
hi, could i use ramen noodles if i do not have chow mein ones? or will it go as great with rice?
Hi Cata! You could use fresh ramen noodles but I wouldn’t recommend instant ones as they would get mushy really quickly. I have never tried this recipe with rice but since it’s a simple vegetable stir fry, I bet it would be tasty as a topping! 🙂
Hello I’m just wondering what the portion size is as I’m going to serve this as an entree. Thank you
Hi Chloe, this should be good as a main for about 4 people. If your household eats a lot I would suggest adding a side dish to make sure it’s enough 🙂
I can’t find dark soy sauce anywhere!! Is there something I can use instead?
Hi Alexis, you can use regular sauce since it’s very similar to dark soy sauce 🙂
The ingredients include sesame seed oil but you don’t say when or where to add it
Hi Vanessa, the sesame oil should be drizzled in the end, when everything is done cooking. Thanks for letting me know!