Yakisoba

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Yakisoba

Yakisoba (焼きそば, Yakisoba^?), literally "fried noodles", is a dish often sold at festivals in Japan. It originates from Chinese chow mein, but has been integrated into Japanese cuisine like ramen. Even though soba is part of the word, yakisoba noodles are not made from buckwheat, but are similar to ramen noodles and made from wheat flour.

Yakisoba usually refers to sosu yakisoba, flavored with sosu (Japanese worcestershire sauce).

It is prepared by stir-frying ramen-style noodles with bite-sized pork, vegetables (usually cabbage, onions or carrots) and flavoured with sosu, salt and pepper. It is served with a multitude of garnishes, such as aonori (seaweed powder), beni shoga (shredded pickled ginger), katsuobushi (fish flakes), and Japanese mayonnaise.

The dish is thought to originate from outdoor black markets immediately after the Second World War.

Yakisoba is most familiarly served on a plate either as a main or a side dish. Another popular way to prepare and serve yakisoba in Japan is to pile the noodles into a bun sliced down the middle in the style of hot-dog, and garnish the top with a healthy squirt of mayonnaise and shreds of pickled ginger. Called yakisoba-pan, pan meaning bread, it is commonly available at local matsuri (festivals) or conbini (convenience stores).

Sometimes, Japanese white Udon is used as a replacement of Chinese style Soba and called Yakiudon. This variation was started in Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Yakisoba is served daily at Camp Hanson, United States Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan and has become a favored dish among the U.S. Marines. Consequently, yakisoba is served at U.S. Marine Corps bases around the world and has acquired an ever-growing fan base.

[edit] Instant yakisoba

Instant yakisoba, such as "UFO", is commonly sold in Japanese supermarkets and even in Chinese supermarkets. It can be prepared simply by adding boiling water.

The Sapporo Ichiban ramen company has long made a variety of instant "yakisoba," which is composed of dehydrated ramen noodles, dried seaweed and a flavor pack which resembles the sauce on real yakisoba. The noodles are supposed to be rehydrated like regular ramen, then stir fried with the flavor packet, shredded Chinese cabbage and meat and served with the seaweed sprinkled on top. There is also now a variety of this instant yakisoba available in the US made by Maruchan, a popular instant ramen company. The dish features very flavorful dehydrated vegetables that resemble carrots, corn, onions, and cabbage, as well as dehydrated instant ramen.