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–+ servings

Sara Udon (Kata Yakisoba)

Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 350 ml water
  • 150 g thinly sliced pork I used pork belly
  • 1 tsp grated ginger root
  • 1 tbsp sake
  • ⅛ green cabbage or Napa cabbage, about 125g/4.5oz
  • ½ carrot thinly sliced
  • 5 slices kamaboko fish cake roughly cut
  • 1 clove garlic finely diced
  • 1 thumb ginger root finely diced (approx 1 tbsp)
  • 2 ptns ramen noodles or store-bought fried sara udon noodles
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 100 g bean sprouts
  • 6 quail eggs pre-boiled
  • 1 tsp cooking oil
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil to finish

Sauce

Instructions 

Preparation (approx 35 minutes)

  • Soak 2 dried shiitake mushrooms in 350 ml water for 30 minutes.
    dry shiitake mushrooms soaking in a glass jug of water on a white background
  • Place 150 g thinly sliced pork in a bowl with 1 tsp grated ginger root and 1 tbsp sake. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    seasoned thinly sliced pork belly in a red bowl on a white background
  • Use this time to prepare the vegetables. Roughly cut ⅛ green cabbage, thinly slice ½ carrot, roughly cut 5 slices kamaboko fish cake, and finely chop 1 clove garlic and 1 thumb ginger root.
    sliced carrot, roughly chopped cabbage, finely chopped ginger and sliced kamaboko fishcakes on a bamboo chopping board
  • If using ramen noodles (instead of crispy sara udon noodles), boil 2 ptns ramen noodles for a little less time than the packaging states. Drain and rinse with warm water to remove excess starch.
    drained ramen noodles in a sieve over a glass bowl on a white background
  • Shake thoroughly to remove excess moisture, then place them in a bowl and toss with 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil until fully coated.
    oil coated ramen noodles in a steel mixing bowl on a white background
  • Heat a non-stick pan on medium. Once hot, add the noodles and fry until crispy on both sides (approx 4-5 minutes on each side). Avoid mixing them too much as this can prevent them from crisping up.
    frying oiled ramen noodles in a frying pan on the stove
  • Once crispy, transfer the noodles to serving plates.
    crispy ramen noodles in a frying pan on the stove
  • After 30 minutes, remove the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms from the liquid, this is now shiitake dashi - save this for the next step. Cut the stems off of the shiitake and thinly slice the caps before placing them with the other vegetables.
    Sliced shiitake mushroom next to a bowl of shiitake dashi
  • To the shiitake dashi, add 2 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ½ tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar,1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder and ¼ tsp dashi granules. Mix well and set by the stove.
    broth for sara udon in a glass jug on a white background

Cooking

  • Heat a wok on medium and drizzle in 1 tsp cooking oil. Sauté the finely chopped garlic and ginger until fragrant.
    frying aromatics in a greased wok on the stove
  • Add the marinated pork and sprinkle with 1 pinch salt and pepper. Fry until lightly browned.
    frying thinly sliced pork belly in a wok on the stove
  • Once the pork is no longer pink, add the cabbage, carrot, kamaboko and shiitake mushrooms. Add another 1 pinch salt and pepper and stir fry until the cabbage has softened slightly.
    vegetables and kamaboko frying in a wok with thinly sliced pork belly
  • Pour the sauce into the wok and add 100 g bean sprouts and 6 quail eggs. Mix well and simmer for 3 minutes. While you wait, mix 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) and 3 tbsp water in a small bowl to make a slurry.
    beansprouts, boiled quail eggs and sara udon broth added to wok on the stove
  • After 3 minutes, pour the slurry into the wok and stir over the heat until the mixture is slightly thick and glossy, but still pourable. If it becomes too thick, add a little water to loosen it.
    Once thickened, drizzle with ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil and remove from the heat.
    simmering sara udon mixture in a wok on the stove
  • Pour the mixture over the top of the plated crispy noodles, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
    sara udon made with store-bought crispy fried noodles on a white and blue striped plate next to sara udon made with homemade crispy fried ramen noodles on a large black plate

Notes

  • Use a large deep frying pan or wok for optimal cooking.
  • For a more authentic touch, use half pork and half seafood mix instead of all pork.
  • Consider adding napa cabbage (instead of green cabbage), sweet corn, or wood ear mushrooms as additional ingredients.
  • Paring ideas: cucumber pickles, spinach ohitashi, or cold green tea.