My wife and I have been trying out something new. We trade cooking for the week. I make all the dinners one week, she the next. It’s actually been a lot of fun – some positives (I have learned how to make some pretty awesome yakisoba in the kitchen) and some fails (red curry slow cooked in a crock pot really isn’t the way to go when the beef released a thick sheen of greasy fat). Nothing better than to make something your significant other really enjoys!
I’ve been asked in the past if I’m a chef which makes me laugh. I make instant noodles and add garnish to them – That definitely doesn’t vault me into the world of top chef, rather into the world of being resourceful and finding where to find logical ingredients for garnish and knowing how to prepare them. I just know what I like – that’s where the stars come in. Anyways, this looks to be a squid yakisoba – here’s a little about yakisoba from Wikipedia –
Yakisoba (焼きそば?), literally “fried buckwheat,” or sōsu yakisoba (ソース焼きそば?) (the same, but in sauce). It first appeared in food stalls in Japan during the early 20th century.[1] Although soba means buckwheat, typically suggesting noodles made from that flour in mainland Japan, yakisoba noodles are made from wheat flour. It is typically flavored with a condiment similar to oyster sauce.
It is prepared by frying ramen-style noodles with bite-sized pork, vegetables (usually cabbage, onions or carrots) and flavored with yakisoba sauce, salt and pepper. It is served with a multitude of garnishes, such as aonori (seaweed powder), beni shoga (shredded pickled ginger), katsuobushi (fish flakes), and mayonnaise.
Yakisoba is most familiarly served on a plate either as a main dish or a side dish. Another popular way to prepare and serve yakisoba in Japan is to pile the noodles into a bun sliced down the middle in the style of a hot dog, and garnish the top with mayonnaise and shreds of pickled ginger. Called yakisoba-pan, pan meaning bread, it is commonly available at local festivals or konbini (convenience stores).
Sometimes, Japanese white Udon is used as a replacement of Chinese style Soba and called Yakiudon. This variation was started in Kitakyushu or Kokura in Fukuoka Prefecture.
In Okinawa, Yakisoba is popular with Okinawans and U.S. service members stationed on the island alike. After the 1945 hostilities ended on Okinawa, the US military command supplied American food products to the malnourished residents. The preferred Okinawan Yakisoba was prepared from spaghetti, spam, ketchup, any available vegetable (usually canned), and mayonnaise for frying. Mess halls and other on-base eateries often serve yakisoba. Chopped hotdogs are a popular addition to yakisoba made on Okinawa, in addition to other meats such as ham, chicken, and pork.
Had no idea about the hot dogs! Interesting! I should mention – yes, I know this isn’t a cup, but from everything I’ve read, this range is called Super Cup. Alright – let’s have a look at this Acecook Super Cup yakisoba.
Acecook Super Cup Yochan Ika Yakisoba – Japan
The distributor/import sticker (click to enlarge).
Detail of the underside of the outer plastic wrap (click to enlarge). To prepare, peel back tab A to line B. Add contents of garnish sachet and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Peel off tab C to expose drain spout and drain off water. Remove lid completely and add dry and liquid base sachets. Stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
A dry base sachet.
Has a sweet scent.
A liquid base sachet.
A very dark liquid.
The garnish sachet.
Guessing some of this is squid.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, shichimi togarashi, spring onion and Kewpie mayo. The noodles are good – and very plentiful. However, the flavor is like a very acrid punch with a kind of yakisoba sauce back to it and it just doesn’t make me very enthusiastic about eating. The included garnish hydrated well and I did enjoy the bit of squid. Unfortunately, I’m experiencing disappointment. 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901071207342.
Acecook Ika Big Noodle, Instant Source Yakisoba with Squid, Pack of 12
