Japanese Pan Noodles -- posted by Jessica

I love the Japanese Pan Noodles at Noodles and Co. and have been wanting to try to make them at home for a long time, so I searched online and found several copycat recipes. I decided on one I found on Hobbyfarms.com. I cut the recipe in half just in case I ended up not liking it. It turned out pretty good, but next time will use some more veggies, especially if going vegetarian like I did this time. Also, the sesame oil is very strong, so next time I will just use a small amount of it to flavor the noodles along with a bit of veg oil to keep them from sticking. The full amount of the sesame oil was a bit over-powering.

I was not able to get the noodles to caramelize much; maybe using the thick round fresh noodles like they have at Noodles and Co. would help along with a bit more of the sweet soy (I used black soy sauce; I am thinking that are the same as it has molasses in it). I had dried udon noodles that I boiled for about 4 minutes and they are more flat - like pad thai noodles. Next time, I will try to find the thick round noodles. I did not have any mirin so I used rice vinegar and also did not have chili garlic sauce so I used red chili flakes and a bit of hot sauce to taste. Next time, I will make sure to get a bottle of the chili garlic sauce and try it with that
Overall, it is a good starting point to experiment with and try to get a bit closer to Noodles & Co.'s

Here is the recipe as printed from the site listed above:


Japanese Pan-fried Noodles
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 pound Japanese soba or udon noodles
• 1 T. sesame oil
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup julienne-cut carrots, julienne
• 1 T. canola oil
• 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced (optional)
• 1 cup julienne-cut peppers, julienne
• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves, garlic, minced
• 2 T. mirin
• 3 T. sweet soy sauce
• 1 T. chili-garlic sauce
• 3 T. fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 tsp. black sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation
Cook soba or udon noodles in boiling water until al dente, following package cooking instructions (usually about 4 minutes). Drain cooked noodles and place in cold water. Drain noodles again, toss lightly with sesame oil, and let sit while preparing vegetables.
Briefly blanch broccoli and carrots in steamer or boiling water, then set aside. If using defrosted broccoli, skip this step for broccoli.
In large sauté pan or wok over medium to high heat, add canola oil and sauté shiitake mushrooms until lightly browned.
To hot sauté pan or wok, add carrots, broccoli, peppers, ginger, garlic, mirin, sweet soy sauce and chil-garlic sauce to stir-fry, mixing frequently. After three to four minutes, add noodles and pan-fry until caramelized and mixed well with vegetables.
Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with cilantro and black sesame seeds.