This recipe is inspired by the wonderful Japanese classic agedashi tofu, but takes it in the direction of a teriyaki dish, coating the lightly fried tofu pieces in our Umi Organic yakisoba sauce. The tofu is not at all greasy—one of the miracles of this cooking technique. This is very easy to make and a textural treat. I like keeping the tofu pieces large so you get to enjoy their contrasting textures after frying. I typically eat this over rice but it would be great over Umi noodles in a miso sesame sauce.
Read moreLola's Gilgeori Toast (a wild version)
The year I lived in Kyoto, Japan, I traveled to Korea over winter break. On Christmas morning, in the freezing cold, I was walking to catch a bus and came upon a street food vendor making breakfast sandwiches. The snow had begun to fall and he let me shelter under his tarp while he made me a very simple cabbage-egg omelet that he served between big fluffy slices of white bread with a delicious sauce that reminded me of Japanese okonomiyaki sauce. I loved the sandwich so much! It felt vaguely healthy but also rich and satisfying. When we made our own yakisoba sauce, with some of those same flavor notes, I knew I wanted to try to recreate this breakfast sandwich.
Read moreVery Juicy "Teriyaki" Chicken
Pan-frying whole chicken thighs briefly, then steaming them with a little sake, and finishing with our Umi yakisoba sauce makes the most succulent and delicious teriyaki-style chicken. It’s also incredibly easy to make and goes with any side dishes you’d like! It’s not a typical teriyaki because our sauce has a more complex, umami-rich sweet-and-sour flavor thanks to Worcestershire, tamarind, and apple puree, but it’s definitely in the same family and scratches the same itch!
Read moreYakisoba with Lots of Mushrooms
I find mushrooms spectacularly delicious and satisfying. This dish highlights shiitake mushrooms—every single bite of noodles is tangled with a few mushrooms, which means every bite is a winner. While this recipe calls for shiitake, any number of mushrooms would work well in their place: oysters, criminis, lobsters, chanterelles—any mushrooms that tastes good sautéed in oil. This is now my favorite way to eat yakisoba noodles!
Read more