Recipe by Betty Izumi
Born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada in 1974
Live in Portland, Oregon
Profession: Registered Dietitian and Associate Professor in the joint School of Public Health at OHSU and Portland State University
Leisure: Backpacking, cooking, cycling, running, swimming, spending time with my family
Word of the day: Ease
Childhood cuisine: Simple Japanese meals meets Hamburger Helper
“I love the versatility of yakisoba. When I was growing up, my mom prepared yakisoba using pork, carrots, cabbage, onions, and bean sprouts. Since I live in Portland where we have access to a wide variety of vegetables on a year-round basis, I use whatever seasonal vegetables I have on hand for my yakisoba. I also love Carman Ranch beef and the combination of the beef and eggplant in yakisoba is killer. Bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli are in season at the same time as eggplant and that’s why those vegetables show up together here. I always aim for at least 5 colors in all of my meals and yakisoba makes it easy to achieve my goal.
Yakisoba is a perfect meal to cook with kids. With a little bit of supervision, even 9 year olds can prepare the entire meal. Kids can cut and stir fry vegetables, and they love to separate and add the noodles and mix in the sauce. I think cooking with kids is critical for helping them develop a palate for vegetables. ”
Betty became my mentor, friend and inspiration when I first considered making a yakisoba noodle for school meals. She was the first person to suggest testing our noodles with a smaller sample of students. She and her family, including her two daughters, have been regular taste testers as we finalized first the noodle and then a sauce to accompany it. And the research she presented after a year in Japan where she studied school meals in Tokyo-area elementary schools changed my ideas about what is possible for school meals here, and anywhere. She is a grounding force—both visionary but also flexible about changes within school lunch programs. He work in public health helps kids get nourishing food, education, and a sense of belonging through school meals, and helps the school food programs themselves run smoothly, with less waste and more connections to their communities.
She also LOVES yakisoba, and I was delighted when she shared this version which features eggplant, an often maligned but incredibly delicious vegetable. The thing about yakisoba is, it’s a great foundation for including lots of vegetables in your meal. And they don’t have to be the standards: cabbage, carrot, and onion. Here, Betty shows us how to make a late summer/fall yakisoba that kids and adults will adore. She used leftover Carman Ranch steak from the night before, which is a great time saver. Cook extra meat or protein, save it, and incorporate it to make a quick and easy meal even quicker! - Lola
1/2 pound cooked boneless steak, optional (cook time and instructions will depend on the cut you choose and your preferences!)
Salt and pepper
1 yellow onion (medium to large)
2 1/2-5 cups assortment of colorful vegetables (e.g. eggplant, red pepper, yellow pepper, broccoli, carrots)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 package (1 pound) Umi Organic Whole Grain Yakisoba Noodles
1/3 to 1/2 cup Umi Organic Yakisoba Sauce
Aonori (powdered seaweed)
Red pickled ginger (beni-shoga / kizami shoga)
Directions
1. If you don’t have leftover steak, cook your steak in a fry-pan. Here are basic instructions from Carman Ranch. Or use other cooked meat, tofu, or nothing!
2. Slice onion, eggplant, and red and yellow pepper into thin strips. Julienne carrots. Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces.
3. In a large wok, frying pan, or griddle, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables. Stir fry the vegetables until they are tender crisp, stirring frequently, about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the type of vegetables you use and the size of the pieces.
4. Separate the noodles with your hands and add them to the vegetables. Use tongs to combine the vegetables and noodles for 1 to 2 minutes and then leave vegetables and noodles undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes to allow them to crisp slightly.
5. Add yakisoba sauce and mix everything together.
6. Divide the yakisoba onto plates and top with sliced steak. Sprinkle with aonori and top with beni-shoga
Photos by Shawn Linehan!
