Spelt yakisoba-style noodles are stir-fried wheat noodles with cabbage, carrot and pan-cooked chicken in a sweet-savoury soy and Worcestershire sauce. This version uses dried spelt noodles. The texture stays chewy, with a mild nutty edge.
The dish takes 37 minutes from first slice to plate. A wok and a pot cover everything. The steps stay clear, and the heat does most of the work.
Spelt noodles go from firm to gummy fast. Drain them one minute before the packet time, then rinse under cold water. They finish cooking in the wok and stay springy.
You can slice the vegetables and mix the sauce a day or two ahead. On the night, you only boil, fry and toss.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Spelt noodles stay chewy with a mild nutty flavour
- Vegetables stay crisp because the wok runs hot
- Slicing and sauce can be done a day ahead
- Built on budget cabbage, carrot and onion
Ingredient Notes
- dried spelt noodles: Look for thin spelt noodles or wholegrain spelt spaghetti. Wholegrain versions taste nuttier and need about a minute longer to cook.
- Worcestershire sauce: It adds the tangy, fruity depth that gives yakisoba its flavour. It contains anchovy, so use a vegetarian brand if you need to avoid fish.
- chicken thigh: Thigh stays tender in a hot wok where breast can turn dry. Breast works if sliced just as thin and cooked for 1 minute less.
- white cabbage: White cabbage keeps its crunch better than green. Savoy works but wilts faster, so add it about 30 seconds later.
Stir-Fried Spelt Yakisoba-Style Noodles with Cabbage
Description
A stir-fried noodle dish built on dried spelt noodles, thin chicken strips and cabbage, finished in a reduced soy and Worcestershire glaze.
Ingredients
Noodles and stir-fry
Sauce
Instructions
- Whisk the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, honey, rice vinegar and water in a small bowl. Slice the cabbage, carrots, onion and spring onions, mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Cut the chicken into 5 mm strips.
- Bring 3 litres / 3 quarts of water to a boil in a 4-litre / 4-quart pot and add the salt. Cook the noodles for 1 minute less than the packet time, usually 6 to 7 minutes. Taste one at 5 minutes, since spelt noodles turn gummy once they pass al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water for 20 seconds, and drain well.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a 30 cm / 12-inch wok over high heat for about 1 minute, until it shimmers. Add the chicken in one layer and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until golden at the edges and 165 F / 74 C inside. Move it to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok. Stir-fry the onion and carrots for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, white spring onion, garlic and ginger, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the cabbage wilts at the edges but still has a crunch.
- Add the noodles, chicken and sauce. Toss with tongs for 2 to 3 minutes until the noodles are coated and the sauce reduces to a glaze. Take the wok off the heat and stir in the sesame oil and green spring onion. Top with sesame seeds and serve straight away.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 166kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 16g25%
- Saturated Fat 2.5g13%
- Cholesterol 50mg17%
- Sodium 860mg36%
- Potassium 620mg18%
- Total Carbohydrate 70g24%
- Dietary Fiber 7g29%
- Sugars 10g
- Protein 24g48%
- Vitamin A 3800 IU
- Vitamin C 28 mg
- Calcium 75 mg
- Iron 3.5 mg
- Vitamin E 2 mg
- Vitamin K 45 mcg
- Thiamin 0.3 mg
- Riboflavin 0.2 mg
- Niacin 7 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.5 mg
- Folate 60 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.2 mcg
- Phosphorus 280 mg
- Magnesium 85 mg
- Zinc 2.5 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Additional Notes
- Rinse the boiled noodles in cold water so the strands don't clump in the wok.
- Keep the wok on high heat the whole time so the cabbage stays crisp.
- Cook the chicken until it reaches 165 F / 74 C inside before moving it out.
- Cut every vegetable to a similar thin size so they cook in the same time.
