Kata-yakisoba is a kind of yakisoba noodle. As kata means hard in Japanese, noodles are deep-fried and crunchy.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 packages steamed chuka noodles for yakisoba (150g/package)
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1/4 lb thinly sliced beef or pork, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 oz. carrot, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 lb Hakusai (Chinese cabbage), cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 lb bean sprouts, washed
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- *For sauce:
- 1 2/3 cup water
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- *For thickening
- 2 Tbsp katakuriko (potato starch), or corn starch
- 2 Tbsp water
- * For topping:
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- mixture of karashi mustard and rice vinegar
- *vegetable oil for frying
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Put oil for deep-frying in a medium skillet and heat to 340 degrees F. Divide noodles into four portions. Deep fry a portion at a time for 6 to 7 minutes, or until they are crunchy. Drain the noodles.
Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Stir-fry ginger on medium heat for a few minutes. Add meat and stir-fry until it changes color. Add carrot, shiitake, and onion in the skille and stir-fry on high heat. Further, add bean sprouts and Chinese cabbage and stir-fry for a minute. Pour prepared sauce over the stir-fried ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture of water and katakuriko starch and stir quickly. Stop the heat. Add sesame oil over the sauce at last. Serve fried noodles on plates and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle some rice vinegar and karashi mustard mixture if you would like.