Stir-fried Soba Noodles

 

10 oz (300 g) dried soba

noodles or whole wheat spaghetti

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 small onion, cut into thin wedges

4 oz (100 g) pork, finely sliced

1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cups (100 g) sliced cabbage

2 tablespoons sake

1 tablespoon soy sauce

5 tablespoons tonkatsu or steak sauce

(see note)

4 tablespoons red pickled ginger, to garnish Dried seaweed flakes, to garnish (see note) Dried bonito flakes, to garnish (see note)

 

1 Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse well in cold water to remove excess starch.

2 Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the onions and carrots and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the onions are transparent. Add the pork and bell pepper and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cabbage and stir-fry for another 2 minutes or until the cabbage starts to wilt. Add the noodles, sake and soy sauce and stir-fry until the noodles are heated through.

3 Stir in the tonkatsu or steak sauce and serve hot. Garnish with the pickled ginger, green seaweed flakes and dried bonito flakes.

 

The pork should be cut in very thin slices, approximately 1 mm thick. To do this, partially freeze the meat for 15–20 minutes, then slice carefully with a sharp knife.

 

Dried bonito flakes are the shavings of bonito fish and are available in small plastic packets of varying sizes. The larger ones are used to make dashi soup stock whereas the finer ones are used as a garnish. They are readily available in Japanese food stores as well as many supermarkets.

 

Dried seaweed flakes or aonori, are sold in small bottles in supermarkets and used as a garnish in various fried noodle dishes.

 

Tonkatsu sauce is eaten with Japanese-style pork cutlets (tonkatsu). It tastes like steak sauce and usually contains tomato ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and sake. It is available in bottles in Asian foods shops.

 

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10–12 mins

Cooking time: 18–20 mins