Japanese Delights 2024 

5.7 Katsu Yakisoba

I shall prepare 21 delights of Japan and publish them in 7 consecutive episodes. Episodes 1 to 4 were already published and now is episode 5.

Yakisoba  焼きそば Stir Fried Noodle

Yakisoba (Japanese: 焼きそば. 'fried noodle'), is a Japanese noodle stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in yakisoba are Chinese-style noodles (chuka soba) made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce. The dish first appeared in food stalls in Japan around the 1930s.

Yakisoba is prepared by frying ramen-style wheat noodles with bite-sized pork and finely chopped vegetables like cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, and carrots. It is then flavored with Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. It can be served with a variety of garnishes, such as aonori (seaweed powder), beni shōga (shredded pickled ginger), katsuobushi (bonito fish flakes), or Japanese-style mayonnaise i.e. Tartar sauce.

Yakisoba Chicken  鶏焼きそば

Ingredients

For yakisoba sauce

. 2 tablespoons ketchup
. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
. 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For yakisoba noodles

. 250 grams Chinese-style noodles (chuka soba) or fresh ramen noodles

. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For stir-fry

. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
. 100 grams Chicken thigh or breast cut into bite-size
. 100 grams cabbage (chopped into strips)
. 80 grams onions (sliced)
. ¼ teaspoon salt
. ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Yakisoba sauce
. 2 tablespoons ketchup

. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

. 1 tablespoon soy sauce

To serve

. green onion (sliced)

. aonori (green nori flakes)
. benishoga (red pickled ginger)

Instructions 
1. To make the yakisoba sauce,  stir together the ketchup, oyster sauce, Worchester sauce and soy sauce until evenly mixed.

2. Boil fresh ramen noodles for 1 minute.

3. Drain and rinse repeatedly with cold water while agitating with your hand to remove excess starch. When the water runs clear and the noodles are cold, drain well and shake off excess water.

4. Toss the noodles with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to coat evenly.

5. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken is no longer pink.
6. Add cabbage and onions and then season with salt and black pepper. Stir-fry until the vegetables are cooked but still vibrant in color.
7. Add the parboiled noodles to the pan and stir-fry to reheat them.

8. Pour the yakisoba sauce over the noodles and toss to distribute evenly.

9. Stop tossing the yakisoba noodles for 20 seconds at a time to allow the sauce to caramelize.

10. Serve the yakisoba sprinkled with green onion, aonori with a mound of benishoga on top.

Tonkatsu sauce とんかつソース

Ingredients

. 1/4 cup ketchup
. 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
. 1 tbsp oyster sauce or soy sauce
. 1/2 tbsp sugar or brown sugar

Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, adjusting the serving size if needed. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the fridge. 

Tartar Sauce タルタルソース

Ingredients
. 1 large egg(s)
· 1/4 large onion 55-65g
· 4 Tablespoon Japanese mayonnaise
· 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
· 1/3 teaspoon salt
· 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

· 1/3 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Add enough water to easily cover the egg in a pot. Bring it to a boil. When it is boiling, add the egg to the pot, and boil for exact 9 minutes.
2. Cut the onion into small pieces.

Preparation

1. In a bowl, add the boiled egg and smash it.
2. Add the cut onion, Japanese mayonnaise, rice vinegar, salt, black pepper, and sugar into the bowl. Mix well.

Garnish

Nori, blanched broccoli, blanched red cabbage, blanched green beans, cooked black fungus, red ginger (ginger + beets + rice vinegar + sugar), shredded Daikon, shredded carrots

5.7 Katsu Yakisoba カツ 焼きそば

Katsu yakisoba is a Japanese dish of stir-fried noodles with meat or seafood cutlet.

Thick wheat flour noodles similar to ramen, but without broth. 

Common vegetables used in yakisoba include cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, carrots, edamame, broccoli, and red bell pepper. 

Yakisoba sauce: A sweet, salty, and tangy sauce made with oyster sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, and tonkatsu or Worcestershire sauce. 

Yakisoba is often garnished with dry seaweed and red ginger. 

▲  13. Tara Katsu Yakisoba   鱈カツ 焼きそば

Tara Katsu is a cod cutlet. It is made from cod fillet that is coated with flour and panko, and finally deep fried until it is crispy and golden brown.    

Ingredients
. 1 cod fillet 150g
. oil for deep frying

Marinating sauce

. minced ginger

. minced onion

. salt
. pepper
. 1 tablespoon sake

Breading
. all purpose flour
. 1 egg, lightly beaten
. bread crumbs (Japanese: panko)

Tartar Sauce

Tonkatsu sauce

Instructions

1. Place the cod fillet in a bowl, ginger, onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add the sake. Mix well, and let the meat marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Prepare three shallow bowls, fill the first one with flour, the second one with egg, and the third one with bread crumbs.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough (you can test by dropping a peace of bread crumb to hot oil, if it sizzles immediately, it is ready), dust each piece of cod meat in flour, then dip in egg, and followed by bread crumb. Then deep fry until golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towel. 
6. Plate with garnish. Serve immediately with Yakisoba, Tartar Sauce and Tonkatsu sauce.

▲ 14. Ebi Katsu Yakisoba    エビカツ 焼きそば

Ebi Katsu is a shrimp cutlet. It is made from shrimp that are mashed roughly then coated with flour and panko, and finally deep fried until it is crispy and golden perfection.

Ingredients

. 200 g shrimp

. 1/4 onion 55-65g
. 10 g unsalted butter
. 1 Tablespoon potato starch or Katakuriko
. 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour Add if you need more
. 2 Tablespoon panko Add if you need more
. 1/3 teaspoon salt
. 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper neutral-flavored
. oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc) for deep frying
. 1 large egg(s)

Tartar Sauce

Tonkatsu sauce 

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation
1. Mince the shrimp into small pieces. *do not over mince in order to leave the texture.
2. Mince the onion into small pieces.
3. In a small or medium bowl, add egg and beat it well.

Cooking
1.In a medium pan, turn the heat to medium. Add butter and cut onion. Cook until they get soft.
2. Move the cooked onion to a medium bowl, and cool the onion down.
3. After the onion is cooled down, add minced shrimp, potato starch (or Katakuriko), salt, and black pepper. Mix everything.
4. Divide the mixture into 4 servings, and shape each of them into a flat circle.
5. Add flour around each patty. Dust with extra flour.
6. Then, add it to egg bowl.
7. Then, add panko for each patty.
8. In a pot, add oil and bring to the heat to 355°F (180°C).
9. Add two patties into the pot at a time. Deep fry each side for 1 minute. (Total 2 minutes)

10. Plate with garnish. Serve immediately with Yakisoba, Tartar Sauce and Tonkatsu sauce.

▲ 15. Tori Katsu Yakisoba  鶏カツ 焼きそば

Chicken katsu (chicken cutlet (チキンカツ, chikinkatsu)), also known as panko chicken or tori katsu (torikatsu (鶏カツ)) is a Japanese dish of fried chicken made with panko bread crumbs. It is related to tonkatsu, fried pork cutlets. The dish has spread internationally and has become a common dish served at Japanese and East Asian restaurants worldwide.

Chicken katsu is generally served with tonkatsu sauce (とんかつソース), a thick Japanese vegetarian pureed fruit-based brown sauce.

Ingredients
. 1 pair of chicken breast or chicken thigh (about 250 gram)
. oil for deep frying

Marinating sauce
. salt
. pepper
. 1 tablespoon sake

Breading
. all purpose flour
. 1 egg, lightly beaten
. bread crumbs (Japanese: panko)

Tartar Sauce

Tonkatsu sauce

Instructions

1. Cut chicken breast pair to two pieces, so you end up with 2 halves of chicken breast. Then cut each chicken breast half at a slanting angle into 3 pieces, make sure that all the pieces have the same thickness. You should end up with 6 pieces of meat.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add the sake. Mix well, and let the meat marinate for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare three shallow bowls, fill the first one with flour, the second one with egg, and the third one with bread crumbs.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan for deep frying. Once the oil is hot enough (you can test by dropping a peace of bread crumb to hot oil, if it sizzles immediately, it is ready), dust each piece of chicken meat in flour, then dip in egg, and followed by bread crumb. Then deep fry until golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towel. 
6. Plate with garnish. Serve immediately with Yakisoba, Tartar Sauce and Tonkatsu sauce.

《Ingredients & Condiments》

  

Next, Japanese Delights 2024

          6.7 Tempura

Coming Next, Byrne Creek Christmas Lunch 2024

Coming Soon,  Hall Tower Christmas Turkey Feast 2024

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight