Hapanese Cuisine

Remember when I said that Char Siu Pork Tenderloins could go with pretty much anything? This quick-cooking Cantonese-Japanese fusion dish is vibrant proof of that. 😋

Japan actually does have its own spin on char siu pork, called chashu (チャーシュー). It does keep a lot of the sweet notes in the flavor profile, but that’s where the similarities end. Japanese chashu is made of slowly braised pork belly, and it’s a popular addition to ramen. (That’s as much as I’ll explain on this post—I need to save something for a future article!)

For this recipe, I modified the char siu marinade just slightly and cooked it down to make a sauce that will coat the yakisoba with its irresistible flavor. The addition of the veggies and the char siu pork itself turn this into a light, flavorful meal that’s perfect for the warmer months up ahead!

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Char Siu Yakisoba

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed tight
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 TBSP sherry cooking wine
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Optional: a dash of red food coloring

10 oz soba noodles

1 TBSP oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

4 stalks bok choy, with the stems chopped into thin slices and the leaves sliced into ribbons

1 lb Char Siu Pork Tenderloins, sliced into strips

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Cook and drain the soba noodles according to directions. Put a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat with the oil. Cook the onion, pepper, and bok choy stems for about 2 minutes, then add in 2 TBSP of the sauce and cook for another minute. Add the noodles, pork, and remaining sauce; toss and cook for another 3 minutes, until hot. Toss in the bok choy leaves, and cook just until wilted. Serve immediately.

Serves up to 6.