This recipe from 2014 has quietly become the most viewed page on this website. Don't ask me how, but the last time I looked it had been pinned on Pinterest literally thousands of times, which adds up to ... lots of page views.
I still don't have analytics installed. I only vaguely know how many page views because the ads I run on the side are linked to analytics way behind the scenes. If I knew my password to go to that dashboard, well, that would be wild. I could know stuff and stuff.
ANYWAY.
I make these noodles all the time, all these years later. Given that I plan to share space with strangers at a table in Japanese restaurant in about sixteen years (thanks for ruining one of my favorite things, COVID!), I'm really glad I took the time to figure out how to replicate hibachi anything.
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One of my favorite places to go when we eat out is anywhere that has the name "Japanese Hibachi" in the name. The only problem is that I think "Hibachi" roughly translates to "charge much money for cooking on big surface." It's nearly $50 for the three of us to eat dinner out at Soba or Ichiban or the like, which CRAZINESS.
It rarely happens for that exact reason.
But for a long time now, I've watched the cooks at the various hibachi places and known that they aren't really doing anything fancy. The fried rice is simple, the vegetables/tofu seemed simple, even the noodles seemed like something I could do.
Well, I finally put my money where my mouth was and starting making Japanese Hibachi style foods for dinner. It worked out REALLY well.
I obviously don't have a giant hibachi grill in my kitchen, so it involves messing up a whole bunch of pots and pans. The results aren't exactly the same, but WHO CARES BECAUSE HELLO SESAME NOODLES!
It's stupid how easy these turned out to be. Absolutely stupid. But they're SO good. The best thing is that since I'm making them myself, I can have double noodles without parting with a bunch of dollars. HOORAY!
The "real" thing is most likely made with soba noodles. I was going for CHEAP with these shenanigans, though, so I tried plain old spaghetti noodles. I hereby declare them close enough. Seriously. SPAGHETTI WORKS.
You should try it.
Japanese Hibachi Style Noodles (On the Cheap)
1/2 box spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (check the spice aisle -- they're buried with the small bottles of spices)
Soy sauce to taste
1. Cook the spaghetti. I know I told you to do that in the ingredients list, but I'm just making sure we're clear. Cook it, drain it, blah, blah, blah.
2. Toss the butter in the largest skillet you own. Heat it over medium high heat until it starts to melt then throw in the spaghetti. Toss in the sesame oil, garlic, and rice vinegar while you're at it.
3. Flip and stir those noodles every few seconds to prevent burning. Cook them for about 5 minutes, then add the soy sauce and sesame seeds. By the way, I end up using about 1/4 cup of soy sauce, but you may want to use more. I currently am in sodium avoidance mode.
4. That's it. Seriously. Kind of crazy how easy they are, right?
(FYI--the vegetables and tofu are also fried in a pan with the same ingredients. Just leave the sesame seeds out that time.)