I had a friend visiting from North Carolina and made this recipe for the first time. It’s from an old issue of Vegetarian Times (April/May 2011). They said “you’ll need some dexterity to flip the noodle cake,” which is an understatement, but if you go at it with the attitude of, “Hey, this is darn good for an amateur,” you can do it with minimal stress.
I used a griddle instead of a pan, which may have increased the difficulty but there were way too many noodles for my frying pan. I also cut off and trashed stray noodles so it looked like a nice package in the end. I modified the recipe slightly but next time I would almost double the kale/mushroom topping and only use one package of buckwheat soba (yamaimo), which is the closest thing my store had to yakisoba (I have enough left over cooked soba in the freezer now for another meal).
Crispy Noodle Cake with Kale and Mushrooms
4 T peanut, avocado, or coconut oil
1 17-oz. pkg. precooked yakisoba noodles
1 large bunch kale, stems and ribs removed, coarsely chopped (4 cups)
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced (1 cup)
8 oz. chopped shiitake mushrooms (3 cups)
2 cloves crushed garlic (2 t)
1 t grated fresh ginger
¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
2 t cornstarch
Preheat oven to 325, and set baking sheet on rack to heat. Put 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange noodles in even layer, pressing down firmly. Cook until noodles are golden brown on bottom – at least 5 minutes. Carefully place large plate over skillet, and invert noodles onto plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to skillet, and slide noodles from plate back into skillet to brown second side. Then slide noodles onto hot baking sheet in oven.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add kale, and sauté a few minutes on medium-high until wilted. Move to a separate plate. Put another tablespoon of oil in the pan and add carrot. Cook 3-4 minutes, then add mushrooms, and cook 3 more minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger. Combine broth, soy sauce, and sherry in small bowl, then add to skillet. Bring to a simmer, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Meanwhile whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, and add to skillet, stirring until thickened. Add kale back into the pan and stir. Remove noodles from oven, and transfer to large platter. Spread kale mixture over noodles, and serve.
