($10 challenge?)

Firstly, this is NOT an attempt to recreate this lovely Japanese treat in its 'true' form, though wuff will
likely give that a try in the future. It is definitely a tasty enough creation to warrant it!

But Vrghr was remembering times when Author was working late at night on Swing or Mid-shift, and
visited the military "chow hall" (err, Dining Facility) for "midnight chow". To wuff's mind, this was one of
the best times to visit. You could get everything from breakfast goodies like made-to-order omelets, SOS
on toast or biscuits, oatmeal, or BACON, to the remainders of whatever they had served for supper. But
the chefs also frequently created "special" items to use up ingredients from the day's meals, and when
they had served pasta, this was frequently one of them.

Unlike the Japanese version, the chow hall Yakisoba was always made with ground beef and normal
spaghetti noodles. The veggie mix-ins tended to vary depending on what was still in the pantry. The
sauce was generally simple, with a lot of reliance on Worcestershire, ketchup, soy, garlic, and ginger.

Vrghr had a strong longing to taste those flavors once again. So, this weekend, wuff experimented with
putting together a big batch for a friend to freeze up a few servings for upcoming meals, and to enjoy a
helping on the day it was created.

This experiment turned out very nicely! The sauce is certainly more complex than the simpler version
wuff recalls from his chow hall days, but there's nothing really wrong with that. The spaghetti,
hamburger, and "random veggies" with plenty of cabbage certainly fit the bill. It tasted GREAT!

And, even for 5 servings, was VERY economical! If you already have the various sauce-making
ingredients on hand, this can easily be created for under $10 for the whole meal. This is because you are
only using a teaspoon here or a tablespoon there for the most part. However, if you have to go out buy
the whole bottles of things to pour from, this is likely to set you back quite a bit more than that.

Either way, it's quite easy to prepare, and quite a tasty meal! Oh, and if you don't want to play with
creating your own version of the sauce, they do sell bottles of Yakisoba Sauce in most Asian markets, a
lot of the larger supermarkets, and you can pick up all sorts of it from Amazon.

Enjoy! And Bon Appetite!

NOTE: Yakisoba Sauce recipes are HIGHLY variable! These are the starting ingredients wuff used, but the
key is to taste and adjust to your preferences. The result should be complex and more savory than
sweet. The Sriracha gives a wee little bit of heat (some recipes use red pepper flakes, others leave heat
out entirely) but can be omitted if desired. Likewise the Fish and Oyster sauces, but Vrghr really wanted
to bring in their Umami "funk" to the mix.

Note on Fish Sauce: Like anchovies or Hing/Asafoetida, this is a VERY potent ingredient with POWERFUL,
salty aroma and taste! However, also like hing/asafetida, the results after cooking are considerably
different than the raw state. Wuff recommends, unless you are SERIOUSLY into anchovies and salt, that
you don't sniff or taste right out of the bottle or it can really put you "off" unless you like that sort of
flavor. But it does wonders for depth of flavor and "umami" when used judiciously in cooking!

INGREDIENTS:
For the Sauce:
1/2 C Soy Sauce
1/3 C Ketchup
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBS Oyster Sauce
1 TBS Sweet Soy Sauce
1 TBS Honey
1 TBS Rice Vinegar
1 TBS Ginger Paste
1 TBS Garlic Paste
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp Sriracha Sauce (optional)

For the noodles:
1 lb pkg Spaghetti noodles (or similar)
1 TBS Butter
1 TBS Sesame Oil

1 lb lean Ground Beef
1-2 C Chopped Cabbage
1 Carrot, chopped fine
2 stalks Celery, sliced small
1 medium Onion, chopped fine
1 lb Cremini or Shitake Mushrooms (or white button)
1 can (4-6 oz) sliced Water Chestnuts
1/2 can (12 oz can) Baby Corn
1/2 red Bell Pepper, large dice
4 Scallions (green onions), Sliced. Separate white from green parts
~ 2-3 Inches of Daikon Radish, julienned
1 heaping TBS Garlic Paste
1 TBS Ginger Paste
2 TBS Garlic Rosemary Olive Oil (or 1 TBS butter + 1 TBS Olive Oil)

Other "Asian Veggies" as desired, such as bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
Make the Sauce: (can be created a day or two ahead and refrigerated if desired)
Add all the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Taste, and adjust
ingredients to preferred flavor. Refrigerate at least an hour to meld flavors.

Make the Noodles:
In a large pot, boil the spaghetti in heavily-salted water according to package directions until just "al
dente". Strain off water but DO NOT RINSE. Add the butter and sesame oil and toss to coat to keep from
sticking and add some flavor

Make the rest:
If using Cremini or Shitake mushrooms, remove the woody stems. Cut caps into slices

In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat (or multi-pot set to "brown" or "sauté"), add flavored
Olive Oil or the olive oil and butter. Heat until hot, then add the onions, carrots, red bell pepper and
celery. Sauté until the onions start to turn translucent, then add the garlic and ginger paste, the sliced
mushrooms, and the ground beef/hamburger

Cook the mushrooms and hamburger, stirring and chopping up the beef to make sure it doesn't make
large clumps, until the beef slightly browned all over and the mushrooms are releasing some of their
liquids

Add the chopped cabbage and cook until it wilts into the meat and becomes slightly tender

Add some of the sauce and all the daikon radish, stirring to coat until sauce has desired coverage. This
should be a pretty "tight" meat and veggies base, not a loose and soupy one. But you can adjust the
sauce amounts to your desired preference. Recommend starting light and adding, as it is FAR easier to
add more to loosen things up or increase saucy flavor, than to try to take it away!

Add the remaining veggies except the greens of the scallions - save those for garnish - and stir to
combine, and cook until just warmed through but not softened

Plate some of the spaghetti noodles and add a generous portion of the yakisoba meat and veggies on
top. Garnish with some of the sliced green onions/scallions

!DEVOUR!