Cheesy Yakisoba Omelette
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 60 g pork, finely sliced
- ½ onion, finely sliced
- ½ carrot, peeled and finely sliced into little planks
- ¼ sweetheart (hispi) cabbage, cut into 1 cm-thick strips
- 1 portion of egg noodles, fresh or par-boiled
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- pinch of pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon dashi powder
- pinch of salt
- 40 g mild melting cheese (such as mozzarella or Edam), grated
- Japanese brown sauce (ideally okonomiyaki or takoyaki sauce), or ketchup, as needed (about 30g)
- mayonnaise, as needed (about 15g)
- lots of chives, finely sliced
Heat one tablespoon oil in a frying pan over a high heat, then add the pork, onion and carrot and stir-fry for about three minutes until lightly browned.
Add the cabbage and continue to stir-fry for about five minutes until wilted. Add the noodles along with all of the liquid seasonings and the pepper and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until everything is well mixed and the liquid has become completely absorbed into the noodles.
Line a plate with cling film, then tip the yakisoba into the centre of it, and wrap it up like a sort of noodle log. Keep under a tea towel to keep warm while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Beat the eggs very well with the milk, dashi powder and salt. Heat the one teaspoon oil in a large, separate frying pan over medium heat, then pour in the egg. Cook on one side until set on the bottom, then lay the cheese across the middle of the omelette.
Carefully unwrap the yakisoba onto the noodles, so that it remains in a log-like form, and draw up the sides of the omelette to enclose the noodles in a duvet of egg. Tip the omusoba onto a plate, cheesy side up, and garnish with the brown sauce, mayonnaise and chives. You can serve this at any temperature, although hot is best. It lasts for three days in the refrigerator.
JapanEasy Bowls & Bento by Tim Anderson (Hardie Grant, £25), Photography © Laura Edwards
