Skip to content

Meat, East Asian

Pork Yakisoba

Pork yakisoba is a Japanese stir fried noodle dish for 4 people, ready in 30 minutes, very easy to make, for €2.40 per person. Pork, cabbage, and carrots are stir fried in a wok, then coated in a brown sauce made from ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. The key is browning the cabbage well before adding the noodles, to keep that griddled, smoky edge.

Tonight it's Japanese stir fried noodles, pork yakisoba with cabbage and carrots, tossed in a sweet brown sauce.

Pork Yakisoba
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€2.40
Calories per person
580 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Yakisoba is the most familiar stir fried noodle dish in everyday Japanese cooking, the kind sold at street stalls and cooked in home kitchens alike. Here, thinly sliced pork browns fast over high heat, the cabbage keeps a bit of bite, the carrots add color, and everything gets tied together with a sweet savory brown sauce that coats every strand of noodle without drowning the dish.

This is the kind of recipe Mon Chou likes to hand you on a weeknight when you don't want to think too hard, just a wok, a cutting board, and 30 minutes on the clock. Kids tend to love sweet savory stir fried noodles, and adults appreciate how much character such a simple dish can have. Chop the vegetables ahead of time if you want to save even more time once it's go time.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Stir fry wheat noodles 450 g
  • Ketchup 2 tbsp
  • Worcestershire sauce 3 tbsp
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Pickled red ginger 2 tbsp
  • Oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp

Butcher

  • Pork belly, thinly sliced 300 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • White cabbage 250 g
  • Carrots 2
  • Onion 1

Allergens Gluten, Soy, Fish

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the pork into strips, the cabbage into large pieces, the carrots into sticks, and the onion into thin slices.

    Vegetables of similar size cook at the same rate.

  2. Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a bowl to make the sauce.

    Taste the sauce on its own, it should taste quite strong since the noodles will dilute it.

  3. Brown the pork in very hot oil for 3 minutes, then add the onion, carrots, and cabbage. 6 min

    Let the cabbage char a little, that's what gives it that griddled flavor.

  4. Add the noodles, separated by hand, with 3 tbsp of water and stir fry until heated through. 3 min

    The water softens the noodles and keeps them from breaking apart.

  5. Pour in the sauce, stir vigorously for 2 minutes, and serve topped with red pickled ginger. 2 min

    If you don't have pickled red ginger, chopped scallions with a splash of vinegar work just as well.

Our tips to get it right

  • Heat the wok until it's very hot before adding the oil, that's what lets the pork actually brown instead of steaming in its own juices.
  • Don't crowd the wok all at once, cook the pork first, then the vegetables in order, so each ingredient keeps its own texture.
  • Mix the sauce before you start cooking, because once the wok is hot everything moves fast and you won't have time to measure anything.

The variations

  • Swap the pork belly for thinly sliced chicken or peeled shrimp for a different protein without changing anything else in the recipe.
  • For a vegetarian version, stir fry shiitake mushrooms and firm tofu instead of the pork, the sauce stays exactly the same.
  • For younger kids, cut the vegetables smaller and ease up slightly on the Worcestershire sauce, since its flavor can be strong for sensitive palates.

What to serve it with

  • A light miso soup starter
  • Steamed salted edamame
  • Hot or iced green tea

Storage

Pork yakisoba keeps for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It doesn't freeze well since the noodles turn mushy once thawed. Reheat in a skillet or wok with a splash of water to bring back the texture, rather than the microwave, which dries them out.

Questions about this dish

Can I use a different type of noodle instead of stir fry wheat noodles?

Yes, fresh udon or thick Chinese noodles work well. Avoid very thin noodles like vermicelli, since they break easily in the wok and don't have the same chew.

Can I prep pork yakisoba ahead of time?

You can chop all the vegetables and mix the sauce the day before, then keep them covered in the fridge. The actual wok cooking should still happen right before serving to keep the cabbage crisp.

What if I don't have Worcestershire sauce?

You can swap it for a mix of soy sauce and a little vinegar, the flavor will be a touch less complex but the dish still works well. Worcestershire sauce mainly adds a tangy, spiced note.

Why separate the noodles under warm water before cooking?

Stir fry wheat noodles often come packed tightly into a solid block. Pulling them apart by hand under warm water keeps them from clumping into a sticky mass once they hit the wok.

How long does it take to make a plate of pork yakisoba?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a plate of pork yakisoba?

About 580 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a plate of pork yakisoba cost?

About €2.40 per serving, or €9.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, soy, fish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

East Asian cuisines

See all

Recipes with carrots

See all