Beef Yakisoba Recipe - Japanese cuisine!- The Foreign Fork (2024)

Beef Yakisoba is made with delicious, chewy noodles, sauteed with plenty of veggies, tender beef, and delicious sauce. It’s a quick Japanese meal perfect to throw together for a flavorful lunch or dinner!

“Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!”

Beef yakisoba is a savory and totally crave-able Japanese dish. It is made with chewy noodles, tender meat, and flavorful veggies, all smothered in a Yakisoba Sauce (a Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, and soy sauce combo).

The best part about yakisoba is how easy it is to put together. You can use any veggies you want, any thinly sliced meat that you want and the sauce can be mixed up at home or bought off the shelf. Throw in some signature yakisoba noodles and you have a complete meal you will want to enjoy over and over again.

Beef Yakisoba is so versatile. Add more vegetables, add different vegetables, add more protein – the sky’s the limit as long as it is covered in that delicious Yakisoba sauce.

If you’re the type of person who craves some Asian takeout every now and then, but also wants to save money and maybe try to eat on the healthier side–this is a recipe you should save. It’s a Japanese street food classic that is easy to make at home!

Recipe Origin

Yakisoba is the Japanese take on Chinese chow mein. Chinese people first brought the Chinese wheat flour noodle to Japan. As Japanese chefs learned to make those noodles, they also came up with their own methods to make their noodles chewy and unique. Chinese traders introduced Japanese people to chow mein and Japanese chefs created yakisoba.

“Yaki” is the Japanese word for “fried” while “soba” indicates the type of noodle used. The dish literally translates to fried noodles.

After World War II, when there was a lot of food insecurity in Japan, yakisoba became very popular. When noodles were hard to come by, people could easily add more cabbage, which was affordable and filling. Quickly frying the meat made it possible to use up any tiny bits of meat.

There are many different types of yakisoba that have been shared throughout the years. Each region in Japan has its own twist on the dish.

It’s a very popular dish to find at street festivals because it is easy to make and easy to transport.

Why Make This Recipe

1. Filling: This recipe combines protein, noodles and vegetables into one amazing dish that will leave you full and satisfied.
2. Use Leftovers: This recipe is an excellent way to use up any leftover meat or vegetables in your refrigerator. It’s essentially a stir fry, so feel free to customize to your liking!
3. Taste of Japan: Yakisoba is a very popular dish to find sold in food stalls at Japanese markets. It is a saucy, savory, chewy noodle bowl that is irresistible.

What Do I Need To Make This Recipe

Ingredients

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

1. Vegetable oil: You could also use sesame oil
2. Garlic: Always use fresh for the best taste!
3. Thinly Sliced Ribeye Steak: You can also use pork belly or another cut of beef like flank steak, strip steak, flatiron steak, or top sirloin. The ribeye will be the most tender.
4. Already-Cooked Yakisoba Noodles: Any stir-fried noodles will work in a pinch. You could substitute udon noodles, rice noodles, Chinese-style noodles, or fried buckwheat noodles. For the most authentic beef yakisoba, search for yakisoba noodles at your local Asian grocery store. This kind of noodle is usually in the freezer section. I do not recommend using Italian noodles like spaghetti noodles.
5. Yakisoba Sauce: You can buy Yakisoba Sauce online or make it yourself at home! It is a combination of Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and sugar.
6. Beni Shoga Pickled Red Ginger Root: For serving. I buy this at my local Asian grocery store.
7. Aonori (Dried green seaweed): I couldn’t find this at my local Asian market, so I just crumbled up some Nori sheets for the same effect.

Tools

1. Frying Pan or Large Skillet: I used a wok!

How To Make This Recipe

Step One: Cook the Meat

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil until warm. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant

Add the thin strips of beef into the pan and cook until browned.

Step Two: Add Your Vegetables

Once your beef slices are browned, add the onions, green onions, and carrots. Stir fry for a few minutes, adding more vegetable oil if necessary.

Then add the cabbage and bean sprouts and cook until the vegetables start to wilt.

Step Three: Add The Noodles

Then add the noodles and cover with the vegetables. Cover and cook until the noodles soften.

When the noodles loosen up, stir them to mix with the rest of the vegetables.

Step Four: Add the Sauce

Add the Yakisoba sauce and stir to coat the noodles. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a plate with pickled ginger root, sesame seeds, sriracha sauce, and aonori.

Researched using JapaneseCooking101, Just One Cookbook, Seonkyoung Longest

Meat Adaptations

Yakisoba is delicious with beef, but it is actually most commonly served with pork! You can easily make this recipe with pork, chicken, or shrimp.

Alternatively, you can make this meal meatless by omitting the meat or replacing it with tofu. Double-check the ingredients of your sauce to make it completely vegetarian or vegan.

Expert Tips

• You can purchase Yakisoba Sauce or make your own. It’s easy to put together.
• If you cannot find yakisoba noodles, you can substitute high-quality ramen noodles.
• Feel free to add any vegetables you want into this dish. It’s delicious with shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, snow peas, and more. You can even find packages of Asian stir-fried vegetables in the frozen food section of your local grocery store that would work perfectly.
• Yakisoba isn’t considered a healthy food but it can be as healthy as you want when you add piles of veggies.

FAQs

Did you enjoy this Beef Yakisoba Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:

• Japanese Curry Recipe
• Easy Katsu Sauce
• Rainbow Roll Sushi Recipe
• Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles