Yakisoba

Ingredients

• 400 g fresh yakisoba or chow mein noodles (or 3 blocks of dried ramen-style noodles, seasoning sachets discarded)
• 300 g boneless chicken thigh, sliced thinly into bite-size strips
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 250 g cabbage, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 medium carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 medium onion, sliced into thin half-moons
• 100 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp pickled ginger or sesame seeds, to garnish

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. Add the cabbage and mushrooms and stir-fry until the cabbage wilts but still has a slight crunch and the mushrooms look golden.
7. 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.
8. Take the pan off the heat, fold in the spring onion greens and serve at once, topped with pickled ginger or sesame seeds.

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.