Recipes – Japanese Cooking Together with Midori

Yakisoba – Main 

Ingredients – Serves 2

• 120g pork belly or chicken thigh
• 6 x prawns – de-shelled
• ½ carrots – cut into matchsticks
• Handful of bean sprouts
• ¼ head white cabbage
• 2 stalks spring onion – thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 4-6 dried shiitake mushrooms – rehydrated
• 1 red onion – thinly sliced
• 2 single-serving packs of yakisoba noodles – dried or pre-soaked packets
• Large pinch of aonori powder or nori sheets cut into thin strips
• 1 tbsp Kkizami pickled ginger
• Pinch of katsuobushi bonito flakes (omit for fish allergies) 

Sauce: 

• 4 tbsp Soy-Sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (or Henderson’s Relish for vegans, fish allergy)
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce (or Mushroom sauce for vegan/veggie, fish allergy)
• 1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• Pinch Togarashi Spice Mix (optional)

Method

1. Rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms ahead of time in warm water for about 15-20 minutes until soft enough to slice. 
2. If you’re using the dried variation of yakisoba noodles, boil them until you reach an undercooked, very al-dente texture, then drain and plunge them into cold water to immediately stop the cooking process. If you’re using the pre-soaked variety, place the whole block in a frying pan on low heat with a touch of oil and very slowly and gently untangle the noodles. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate. 
3. Next prepare the protein: remove heads, tails and shells from prawns / cut pork belly or chicken into thin slices. 
4. Prep the veggies: shred cabbage, chop carrots, slice spring onions, squeeze water out of rehydrated shiitake and slice into thin strips, thinly slice onion. 
5. Combine sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. 
6. Now it’s time to stir fry on high heat: start with a drop of neutral oil and fry the pork belly sliced until they start to brown and render fat. Then add the prawns and fry until they turn pink in colour.  
7. Next add the carrots, cabbage, onion, white parts of the spring onions, bean sprouts and shiitake mushrooms and sauté with the pork and prawns. 
8. Once the veggies are slightly softened add the cooked noodles followed by the sauce. 
9. When the sauce starts to reduce and caramelise, plate up and garnish with the green part of the spring onions, seaweed, pickled ginger and bonito flakes.