1. Why the Yakisoba Recipe Skips the Boiling Pot
Look at a standard recipe for Maruchan yakisoba. First, you stir-fry pork and vegetables. Next, you place the noodles on top of the vegetables and pour water over them. In this specific recipe, the amount is 60 ml. You then stir the noodles, loosening them from the edges, and continue frying until the water is gone. Finally, you turn down the heat and mix in the powdered sauce. [1] There is no pot of boiling water involved. The water is used directly in the frying pan to help separate the noodles. The amount of water varies depending on the product and the number of people, so the 60 ml figure applies only to this specific recipe.
This raises a question: why is water added if the noodles are not being boiled? The recipe does not explain the reason. The answer likely lies in the noodles themselves. How are yakisoba noodles different from regular noodles?
SAFETY NOTE: When cooking, follow the steps: stir-fry pork and vegetables, place noodles on top, add water (60 ml for this recipe), and fry until the water is gone while loosening the noodles. Then reduce heat and mix in the attached powdered sauce. [1]
2. Why Yakisoba Noodles Are Already Steamed
Yakisoba noodles are Chinese-style noodles made from wheat flour, not buckwheat. Chinese noodles come in several types: raw, dried, fried, and steamed. Steamed noodles are raw noodles that have been steamed. Because they contain less moisture, they are said to be suitable for yakisoba. [3] Many noodles sold specifically for yakisoba are steamed and then treated with oil to make them easier to separate. However, this is not true for all products. According to Wikipedia, in the Kansai region, boiled noodles without oil treatment are also commonly used. [2]
Chinese noodles are made using alkaline water called "kansui." This ingredient gives the noodles their firm texture and elasticity. The details of kansui are a topic for another note. The key point is that the noodles in the packet are already cooked. This is likely why they do not need to be boiled again. But if they are already cooked, why do we add water?
3. Why You Add the Sauce Only After the Water Is Gone
The recipe does not explicitly state the role of the water. However, looking at the step where you loosen the noodles from the edges while frying, it seems water acts as a tool to separate them. When the water turns to steam, it helps release the stuck noodles. Nissin Foods explains that their instant yakisoba was born from the idea of "rehydrating while frying in a pan," which points in the same direction. [8]
What is clearly stated is the order of operations. The sauce is added after the water is gone and the heat is reduced. [1] It is thought that if water remains, the sauce would become too thin. There are different types of sauce. The Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries classify sauces by viscosity: less than 0.2 Pa·s is Worcestershire sauce, 0.2 to 2.0 Pa·s is medium-thick sauce, and 2.0 Pa·s or more is thick sauce. [4] So, whether a sauce is thin or thick is determined by a specific number.
Sauces also contain sugar and spices. The savory aroma that develops when heated on a hot iron plate or pan is explained by the "Maillard reaction," a chemical process between amino acids and sugars in food. [6] However, this is a general explanation. The Ministry’s document discusses this reaction in the context of acrylamide and does not specifically investigate its contribution to yakisoba.
SAFETY NOTE: Add the sauce only after the water is gone and the heat is reduced. [1]
4. How Street Stall Yakisoba for Children Began Without Meat
The origin of sauce yakisoba is thought to be in okonomiyaki street stalls. It is believed to have started as a version of okonomiyaki (called "dondon-yaki") sold to children in Tokyo’s downtown areas. This is thought to have happened around the late Taisho and early Showa eras, roughly the 1920s, though the exact year is unclear. [2]
By 1935, yakisoba-only stalls were popular in Tokyo, and okonomiyaki shops in Asakusa also served yakisoba. At that time, the yakisoba reportedly contained only cabbage, with no meat. [2] The popularity of the dish is even reflected in business guides. In 1936, a guidebook for opening yakisoba specialty shops was published. [7]
Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, researcher Shogo Shiozaki suggests that yakisoba may have originated in 1918, when wheat flour prices rose during the Rice Riots, making Chinese noodles a relatively cheap option. However, this is a speculation and not a confirmed record. [2]
5. How Worcestershire Sauce Led to Special Yakisoba Sauce
The name "Worcestershire sauce" is said to come from the Worcestershire region in England in the early 19th century. According to a story shared by Bulldog Sauce, a housewife stored leftover vegetables and fruits with spices in a jar. They melted together into an unknown liquid, which became popular and was sold. [5]
In Japan, during the Meiji era, sauces began to be divided by use, such as medium-thick, tonkatsu, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba sauces. [5] Specialized yakisoba sauce appeared around 1959–1960, during the period of high economic growth. A stall owner in a department store basement in Hiroshima reportedly said, "Worcestershire sauce is too spicy and sour. Okonomiyaki sauce is a bit sticky and slightly sweet." Otafuku Sauce responded to this feedback by mixing Worcestershire and okonomiyaki sauces. They also added soy sauce after hearing customers say that soy sauce suits Japanese tastes. According to the company, this was the first specialized yakisoba sauce in Japan. [7] Note that the claim "first in Japan" is the company’s own explanation.
6. How Instant Yakisoba Noodles Brought Street Stall Flavor Home
After World War II, noodle culture spread nationwide, partly due to people returning from war zones. It is said that sauce yakisoba became established across the country in the 1950s. [7] From around the 1950s, when pre-steamed Chinese noodles became widely available, it is said that yakisoba began to be made at home. [2]
The decisive factor was the instant noodle packet. In July 1963, "Nissin Yakisoba" was released, born from the idea of "rehydrating while frying in a pan." Initially, sales struggled, but it began to sell well with the CM song "Let’s Fry Nissin Yakisoba!" and became a hit product the following summer. [8] The company states that this was the world’s first instant yakisoba. [2] In 1975, Toyo Suisan released the chilled noodle product "Yakisoba 3-Serving." [9] Wikipedia also notes that cup yakisoba appeared in 1974. [2] The child-friendly street stall dish had entered the home in the form of steamed noodles and sauce in packets and cups.
7. An Experiment: Comparing How Two Sauces Flow at Home
If you have Worcestershire sauce and medium-thick sauce at home, try lining them up. Do not use heat. Pour the same amount into small dishes and tilt them slightly to compare how fast they flow. The Worcestershire sauce should be thinner, and the medium-thick sauce should flow more slowly. This allows you to observe the difference in how the sauces flow.
When making yakisoba with your family, watch how the noodles change before and after adding water. You might notice how easily they separate, the steam that rises, and the sound when the water disappears. The frying pan and steam are hot, so ask an adult to handle the cooking with fire.
SAFETY NOTE: When observing cooking, pay attention to how the noodles change before and after adding water, and how the aroma rises when the sauce is added after reducing the heat. There is a risk of burns from heating equipment and steam. Leave tasks involving fire to adults and watch from a safe distance.