Mushroom Yakisoba Stir-fry

Mushroom Yakisoba Stir-fry is the ultimate umami-packed version of the classic Japanese street food. Tender noodles get tossed in a sweet-savory sauce and then mixed with an assortment of meaty mushrooms that provide a hearty texture.

I love all kinds of noodles and yakisoba noodles are one of the best! Just like my veggie yakisoba, this mushroom yakisoba is packed with umami savory and a bit of sweet flavor. They are so delicious, I am sure you will going to have more than one serving of these yummy stir-fried noodles! They are so flavorful and easy to make.

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• What is yakisoba?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Helpful Tips
• Choosing the Best Mushrooms
• More similar recipes
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• Mushroom Yakisoba

What is yakisoba?

Yakisoba is one of Japan's most popular street food dishes. It consists of ramen-style wheat noodles that get stir-fried on a hot grill with slices of pork and vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and onions. A thick, sticky Worcestershire-based sauce is added for flavor and everything is tossed together for a quick and delicious meal.

The dish is served from small yatai food stalls at festivals and locations with high foot traffic. Vendors cook the dish in front of customers, tossing and chopping ingredients on their hot griddle. The sizzling aromas lure hungry passerby who customize ingredients to their preferences. Within minutes, a steaming plate of noodles is handed off the customer to enjoy on the spot.

While classic yakisoba contains pork for savoriness, mushrooms can provide that same umami depth without the meat. Vegetables maintain the flavor balance while various mushrooms like shiitake, oyster, and king trumpet can replace pork with their hearty texture and taste.

Ingredients

• Yakisoba noodles - Typically called Japanese-style pan-fried noodles that you can find in the refrigerated section of your Asian store. You can also check the frozen area for frozen yakisoba noodles. If you can't find yakisoba noodles, use any type of egg noodles instead.
• Mushrooms - You can use any type of mushrooms you prefer.
• Soy sauce and oyster sauce - Adds depth umami savory flavor.
• Sesame oil - Adds nutty flavor.
• Vegetables - Add your favorite stir-fry vegetables to the dish such as carrots and cabbage.

Instructions

Step 1. Boil yakisoba noodles for 2 minutes until cooked but still firm. Drain and rinse noodles in cold water. Set aside.

Step 2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir fry onions for 1 minute before adding mushrooms. Cook them for 3 minutes.

Step 3. Add cabbage and carrots to the wok and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Step 4. Stir in cooked yakisoba noodles along with soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Toss everything together while cooking for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and adjust the taste with salt & pepper as desired.

Transfer yakisoba to serving plates. Sprinkle with green onions. Drizzle with mayo and okonomiyaki sauce (optional). Enjoy!

Helpful Tips

• Cut all vegetables and mushrooms to a similar thickness so the ingredients cook evenly.
• For bolder flavor, marinate mushrooms for 30 mins in equal parts soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• If the mixture seems dry, splash a little vegetable or mushroom broth in when cooking.
• Add a splash of rice wine at the end for extra fragrance.
• If the noodles get mushy from overcooking, simply break in one egg when tossing in the wok to coat everything for added silkiness.
• For variation, add thin strips of cooked pork belly, shrimp, or chicken. Or make it a veggie-only dish.
• Besides Japanese mayo, also enjoy with spicy Sriracha mayo.
• Store your leftovers in a glass container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a small pan over medium heat until warm thoroughly. Enjoy!
• If you love more recipes with lots of mushrooms, check out my creamy mushroom carbonara, mushroom miso ramen, vegan mushroom soup, creamy turkey mushroom soup, mushroom adobo, and hot and sour soup.

Choosing the Best Mushrooms

The great thing about yakisoba is you can use whatever mushrooms you prefer based on taste, texture, and availability. Here are the top varieties that work well:

• Shiitake - This Japanese mushroom offers the quintessential umami flavor. When raw, shiitakes have a light woodsy flavor with a firm, bouncy texture. Cooked releases even more savoriness. The brown caps add a nice color contrast and a slightly chewy texture.
• Oyster - These off-white stemmed mushrooms offer a mild sweet flavor. Their delicate texture softens nicely when cooked while retaining a subtle bite. Great for absorbing sauce. Excellent budget option available year-round.
• King Trumpet - King trumpets have thick, meaty stems with golden caps. When cooked, the texture changes from firm and crunchy to pleasantly chewy with a sweet nuttiness. Delicious chargrilled flavor.
• Buna Shimeji - Also called beech mushrooms, these offer unique small, slender caps on long white stems. They grow in clustered bunches, mimicking wheat-like grains. Subtle flavor lets other ingredients shine while providing great visual appeal.
• Enoki - Enoki features tiny pin-like caps connected by long, skinny stems. They offer a fun, snappable texture, and a slightly fruity taste. Best added at the end since they cook quickly. Great garnish.
• Porcini - The intensely earthy, nutty flavor connects you to the forest floor. Reconstitute the dried mushrooms before adding them to any dish you want to add rich, woodsy depth. A little goes a long way.

You really can't go wrong when picking mushrooms for yakisoba. Play around with different types in your batch or use a blend to get an array of textures and flavors. The key is not overcooking them to retain the integrity of their shape and bite.

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