Yakisoba
Japanese stir-fried wheat noodles with chicken, cabbage and carrot in a tangy-sweet sauce. It's a fast one-pan lunch that uses noodles and vegetables you can find in most Pakistani stores.
Published 1 Oct 2026Tested by Hina Ikram
Ingredients
Equipment: Large wide frying pan or wok, saucepan, tongs or long chopsticks, small bowl
Method
Stir the soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, water and black pepper together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Prepare all the vegetables and chicken before you start cooking, as the stir-fry moves quickly. Keep the spring onion whites separate from the greens.
Boil a saucepan of water. Cook the noodles for 1–2 minutes only, loosening them with a fork, until just separated but still firm. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water and toss with 1 tbsp of the oil so they don't stick.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring now and then, until golden and cooked through with no pink inside (74°C).
Push the chicken to the side, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, then the onion, carrot, garlic and spring onion whites. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the onion softens at the edges.
Add the cabbage and mushrooms and stir-fry until the cabbage wilts but still has a slight crunch and the mushrooms look golden.
Add the noodles and pour the sauce evenly over them. Toss constantly with tongs for 2–3 minutes until every strand is coated, glossy and hot, and the sauce has been absorbed.
Take the pan off the heat, fold in the spring onion greens and serve at once, topped with pickled ginger or sesame seeds.
Cooking tips
- Undercook the noodles slightly in the water, because they finish cooking in the pan and will turn soft if boiled fully.
- Use high heat and a wide pan so the vegetables fry rather than steam. Cook in two batches if your pan is small.
- Slice the chicken thinly against the grain so it cooks quickly and stays tender.
- Add the sauce only once the noodles are in the pan, so it coats them evenly and doesn't make the vegetables soggy.
Substitutions
- Replace chicken with sliced beef, prawns or fried firm tofu. Use mushrooms and extra vegetables for a meatless version, and swap oyster sauce for mushroom stir-fry sauce.
- Use instant ramen or chow mein noodles if fresh yakisoba noodles aren't available. Spaghetti boiled a minute less than the packet also works in a pinch.
- If you avoid the anchovies in some Worcestershire sauces, use 1 extra tbsp of soy sauce plus ½ tsp of vinegar instead.
- Use capsicum, bean sprouts or spring cabbage in place of mushrooms or carrot.
Serve with
Serve straight from the pan with pickled ginger, a squeeze of Japanese-style mayonnaise and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. A cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar goes well on the side.
Storage
Cool within 1 hour and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat in a hot pan with 1–2 tbsp of water, tossing for 3–4 minutes until steaming hot throughout. Microwave covered in short bursts, stirring in between.
Nutrition per serving, estimated
Estimated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands and portion size.
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