The Japanese have grown to love their convenience foods since fast food stores first started up in the country in the 1950s. One perennial favourite is Yakisoba Pan. As the name suggests, Yakisoba Pan consists of two main parts - Yakisoba fried noodles and "pan" which is the Japanese name for bread, deriving from the French term for bread. (This was one of my favourite after school treats with my friends on the walk home from high school.)
With many Japanese foods, there is often a story behind the food and Yakisoba Pan is no exception. In post-war Japan, a hungry population needed to be fed, so restaurants devised various cheap and cheerful meals to meet this demand and one such food was Yakisoba - fried soba noodles were cheap and quick to produce. Paired with some fried cabbage and a generous portion of Japanese brown sauce, Yakisoba made for a filling, satisfying any time street meal (although Yakisoba was and still is a big favourite to make at home too.) In restaurants and stalls, Yakisoba was often served with bread to wipe up any remaining sauce from the plate. Legend has it that one diner suggested serving Yakisoba on bread to soak up the sauce and make it easier without any waste. Thus, Yakisoba Pan was born. (Whether this is true of not, but it does make for a good story!)
My authentic but easy recipe for Yakisoba Pan cuts a few corners and swaps out a few ingredients to make this dish easier to create without having to purchase special ingredients:
First, I use instant noodles that you can buy in a pack in just about any store. (This is a fast food dish after all!) I used Nissin brand instant noodles but I'm sure other brands work equally as well.
Second, although Yakisoba Pan usually has a topping of powdered nori seaweed (aonori) and shredded, pickled red ginger (beni shoga) , I dispense with these and use the seasoning from the instand noodle pack instead along with some Japanese mayo. For a colour replacement for the (red) beni shoga, I fry a little red pepper along with the noodles and cabbage.
Third, I don't use butter on the bread rolls. Some recipes do advise this, but as far as I remember, a proper Yakisoba Pan comes unbuttered. (Butter was an expensive commodity back in the day in Japan!)
Fourth, I use some mayo at the end for some extra flavour. Yakisoba Pan isn't a highly seasoned dish, but modern tastes want more flavouring, so I add this for an extra layer. By all means, if you think it's too much, then dispense with this step.
Making Yakisoba Pan is very easy - 30 minutes tops to prepare. It's suitable for a filling (and high in carbs) lunch or snack for growing children and is great for picnics. (Although Yakisoba Pan is best eaten immediately, they will keep for a few hours - just leave the seasoning and mayo until you eat them.) I usually make two Yakisoba Pan per person as a serving. It's funny, two of these on a plate always looks a little dauntiing but somehow everyone always manages to gobble them up!
If you would like to see how to make your own Yakisoba Pan, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Yakisoba Pan or just scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below.
Happy Cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
ingredients:
(makes 4 Yakisoba Pan rolls)
4 hotdog rolls
1 packet instant yakisoba noodle
1 large sweet pointed cabbage leaf
a small piece of red bell pepper about 2 in / 5 cm long
1 - 1.5 tbsp Bulldog sauce or yakisoba sauce
250ml water (or according to the instructions on the packet)
some mayo for a final drizzle
how to:
slice the hot dog rolls down the middles but make sure you don't cut all the way through
cut the cabbage leaf in half. remove the thick midvein, then roll up and shred
slice the pepper into small rectangular pieces
to make the yakisoba noodles, boil bring water to the boil in a frying pan. add the instant noodles and the shredded cabbage to the pan. cook for 2 - 3 mins or until the water is mostly absorbed into the noodles. (the cooking time may vary depending on the noodle brand, so check the instructions on the packet.)
add the sachet of sauce from the packet, the chopped pepper and the Bulldog brown sauce and stir fry for about 1 minute
lay your 4 hotdog rolls on a plate or chopping board. carefully fill the rolls with about a quarter of the yakisoba noodles each
finally, drizzle over some mayonnasie and the seasoning from the instant noodle packet
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