A few years ago, we ran a Japanese cooking class. The class was only three weeks, but we learned some absolutely delicious dishes. Sushi rolling and mochi were stunners, but this yakisoba is one I keep coming back to. I love it for many reasons. It’s a stir fry, which makes it weeknight friendly. My kids love it, because it gives take out noodle vibes. It is also veggie forward, so we get a rainbow of nutrients going on and it’s inexpensive. It uses pantry ingredients plus whatever vegetables I have kicking around the crisper drawer. It’s a one skillet meal and, most importantly, it’s tasty.

We use soba noodles in this recipe. They are a thin, Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. I love that they provide the fun element of a noodle, while expanding the idea for kids of what a long, thin noodle looks and tastes like. It is a great way to food chain for a kiddo that already loves spaghetti. They also have a little more fiber than a standard noodle, but with all the veggies in this dish, that’s not a huge concern of mine. If you have a hard time sourcing soba noodles or are unsure if your family is ready for them, try any long, thin noodle your family already loves. Spaghetti, fettuccine, or even ramen would all work well here.

Kid Tasks: This is a great recipe to include some tiny helpers. Tasks for the 3-7 crowd are peeling the carrots (with help), ripping the broccoli florets off the crown, slicing a wedge of the napa cabbage with a kid safe plastic knife, and pouring in the sauce ingredients and stirring.

Yakisoba

Ingredients

1 package soba noodles 

½ onion

2 large carrots

1 small head of broccoli

1 red bell pepper

½ napa cabbage

3 green onions

3 Tablespoons canola oil (or other neutral, high heat oil)

3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons mirin

1 inch fresh ginger

1 clove garlic

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil soba noodles according to package instructions. Once they are done, immediately strain into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the noodles from over cooking. 
2. While the noodles are boiling, prep your vegetables.
   1. Peel and thinly slice your onion.
   2. Peel and grate your carrot. 
   3. Cut your broccoli into bite sized pieces.
   4. Thinly slice your bell pepper.  
   5. Thinly slice your napa cabbage. 
   6. Thinly slice your green onions. Kitchen shears are great for this task. 
3. Sauce:
   1. Mix together your 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, and 3 Tablespoons mirin.
   2.  Peel your ginger by scraping off the papery skin with the tip of a dinner spoon and grate with a small hole grater. Add your ginger to your sauce. 
   3. Peel and grate your garlic clove. Add it to your sauce and stir. 
   4. Set your sauce aside.  
4. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. 
5. Add your oil. Heat for a minute or until it starts to shimmer slightly. 
6. Ask a grown up for help and carefully add your onions to the hot oil. Stir constantly and cook until they start to turn clear. 
7. Add your carrots and broccoli to your skillet. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring constantly. 
8. Add your bell pepper and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. 
9. Add your napa cabbage, cooked noodles, and sauce. 
10. Stir to combine and cook for one to two minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Kitchen tongs are great for this. 
11. Top with your sliced green onions and sesame seeds (optional) and serve warm. 

Notes

• If you have a hard time sourcing soba noodles, try any long, thin noodle that you like. Spaghetti or even vermicelli noodles work well for this. 
• You can peel the broccoli stem and thinly slice. Saute it with the rest of the vegetables. 
• Don’t use a non-stick skillet for this recipe. The high temperature you stir fry at can damage the non-stick coating. I love a carbon steel wok for stir fry, but a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet would also work well.