Sauce Yakisoba

Ingredients

• 600 g fresh steamed yakisoba noodles
• 250 g pork belly, thinly sliced and cut into 4 cm pieces
• 300 g white cabbage, cut into rough 3 cm squares
• 1 onion, sliced 5 mm thick
• 1 carrot, cut into thin half-moons
• 100 g beansprouts
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp Dijon or karashi mustard
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp aonori dried green seaweed
• 4 tbsp beni shoga pickled red ginger
• 10 g katsuobushi bonito flakes
• Japanese mayonnaise, to serve

Before you cook

• Whisk the Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar and mustard together in a bowl.
• Cut the pork belly into 4 cm pieces.
• Cut the cabbage into rough squares, slice the onion and cut the carrot into half-moons.
• Loosen the noodles in their packet with your fingers so they are not one solid block.
• Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of water over the noodles and toss them, which stops them tearing in the pan.

Steps

1. Set a large frying pan or wok over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
2. Add the pork belly and fry for 3 minutes, until browned and its fat has rendered out.
3. Add the onion and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 2 minutes more, until it is wilted at the edges but still has bite.
5. Tip the pork and vegetables onto a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
6. Add the remaining oil to the pan and turn the heat to its highest.
7. Spread the noodles across the pan in a single layer and leave them untouched for 90 seconds to catch and brown.
8. Toss the noodles once, then leave them for another minute to brown on the other side.
9. Return the pork and vegetables to the pan and add the beansprouts.
10. Pour the sauce around the edge of the pan so it hits the hot metal and caramelises.
11. Toss everything together for 1 minute, until every strand is glossy and evenly coloured.
12. Divide between four plates and scatter with aonori.
13. Top each plate with a mound of beni shoga and a handful of katsuobushi.
14. Zigzag Japanese mayonnaise over the top and serve straight away.