lioness in japan

Alright folks, this is the finale of “Eating cheap in Tokyo”, so I decided a Japanese dish would be a natural swan song. Though I’m very into un-cooking these days, I still have an interest in cooked food because the kangaroo is not raw.

On that note, he is very respectful and supportive of my new lifestyle, and I’m the same where he is concerned. Though he probably isn’t aware that he is 50 per cent raw when he comes home and eats these salads and raw ice-cream I make.

Anway, let’s talk about yakisoba today. Yakisoba is fried ramen noodles with cabbage, soy sauce, and preserved ginger. You can find this at street stalls during festivals like hanami (sakura season) and hanabi (fireworks in the summer) and in conbinis.

I’m not very fond of preserved ginger so I whipped up my own version in my kitchen.

Serves two, plus leftovers for the next day:
2 packets yakisoba = 160JPY
1 packet sliced pork = 250JPY
1 packet bok choy = 100JPY
½ packet shiitake (or four shiitake mushrooms) = 79JPY
2 tbs oyster sauce; negligible (one small bottle costs 300JPY at Yamaya)
1 tbs soy sauce; negligible
1 tsp sesame oil; negligible
1 tsp black pepper; negligible
One clove of garlic; negligible
1 tsp mirin (optional); negligible
1 tbs sambal (optional); negligible (or you can use Lee Kum Kee’s Chilli Bean Paste from Yamaya at 400JPY per bottle)

Total time = 20 minutes

Total cost = 400JPY per person (I inflated this to include the “negligibles”)

Stir-fry the garlic in olive oil in a wok and then add in the pork slices. Shake in some oyster sauce and let it cook for a minute or two. Toss in the bok choy and shiitake, plus add in the soy sauce, black pepper, mirin, and sesame oil. As the bok choy wilts, put in the yakisoba noodles and stir-fry everything with as much muscle you’ve got. You can include the sambal or chilli sauce at this point but it’s not necessary for yummy yakisoba. I’m Singaporean so fried noodles with chilli go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Hope you enjoyed this series and I will be posting recipes on an ad-hoc basis if I find awesome ones to share.

Related posts:

1. Eating cheap in Tokyo: Pasta with eggplant, red capsicum, and feta
2. Eating cheap in Tokyo: Shabu-shabu
3. Eating cheap in Tokyo: Chicken breast with capers and lemon

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