There is just nothing about a one dish meal that I don’t like, especially when that dish contains pasta. My mother must have eaten a lot of noodles when she was pregnant with me, because I could practically live on them, as long as I could have a piece or two of good bread on the side. (See a pattern of carbohydrate passion going on here?!) Anyway, when you combine noodles with a protein, some good healthy vegetables for color, flavor, and nutritional value, and then smother the whole shebang with a flavorful sauce, I am one happy camper. I got protein, I got veggies, I got pasta; who could ask for anything more? (For those of you familiar with George Gershwin’s hit tune “I got Rhythm”, I’m sure you won’t mind if I took a little liberty with his words. And if you are a performer, please feel free to use my words next time you perform the song.)

So anyway, last night I made this recipe using whole shrimp. We had been over to our friends’ home for a band rehearsal a couple of weeks ago, and Vicki had served us a delicious yakisoba. I immediately knew that I had to come up with a recipe so that we could enjoy this incredible dish any time we darned well pleased. (And yes, I could have asked Vicki for her recipe, but I already knew what she would say. “I’d love to give it to you, but I just made it up as I went.” She’s just that good a cook!)

So I had to do all the hard work of looking on the internet, and coming up with my own version of this well known Japanese dish. (Well if you want to get technical about the whole thing, yes yakisoba is considered a Japanese dish and served all over Japan, from railway stations to expensive restaurants; but it originated in China.)

So if you too are looking for one dish meals (no matter where they originated) that are nutritious, relatively inexpensive and easy to prepare, and pack a wallop of flavor, stir yourself up some yakisoba in the near future. Douzo omeshiagari kudasai. (Enjoy your meal.)

• 1/3 c. dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• very hot water
• 1/3 c. low sodium, GF Tamari
• 1 T. oyster sauce
• 1 T. ketchup
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. chili sauce or garlic chili sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 T. sesame oil, divided
• 2 T. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 lb. lg. uncooked shrimp (peeled and de-veined), 1 chicken breast (cut into small cubes) or 2 boneless pork chop (cut into small cubes)
• pinch kosher salt
• couple grinds black pepper
• 1 med. onion, thinly sliced
• 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
• 2-3 c. thinly sliced green cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. fresh ginger, minced (or more to taste)
• 6-7 oz. Japanese style noodles, cooked al dente (I use Shirakiku brand – comes in a 2.2 lb. package containing 10 bundles. I use 2 bundles for this recipe. I buy mine at Winco. See picture below)
• 4 green onions cut thinly on the bias, divided

Place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside. Whisk together the tamari, oyster sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, chili sauce, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Set aside.

In a large fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the shrimp, chicken, or pork, a sprinkling of salt and pepper; cook only until done. Remove meat from pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil to the pan and stir fry the onion, carrots, and green cabbage until the cabbage is wilted. Add the garlic and ginger, and fry for one minute. Stir in the cooked meat, cooked noodles, and drained re-hydrated mushrooms; stir fry until everything is hot. Pour the sauce over all, add about ½ of the green onions and stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute. Serve immediately garnished with remaining green onions.

Note: You can use any combination of veggies you like for this dish. I just had the veggies listed in the recipe on hand, or I might have added fresh mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper, etc.

(the core ingredients of yakisoba)