Okonomiyaki
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2007
1
5
24
Trip End
Nov 14, 2007
Tsukuba, Japan
Friday, September 28, 2007
Here's a short entry about one of our favorite Japanese dishes ... one that's not well known outside of Japan. It's called okonomiyaki, which roughly translated means "what you like cooked as you like it." It originated in the Osaka area, but has become popular throughout Japan. One of our hosts here explained they came up with it after WWII when there was a severe rice shortage - it doesn't entail any rice, a rarity in Japan.
It's sort of a cross between a pancake and an omelet - made with wheat flour (I think - there's a special okonomiyaki flour that is very finely ground and apparently has some special spices in it) and cabbage as the primary fillers - you also use egg, leek, often grated Japanese yams, and typically a few thin slices of pork. You can add pretty much anything else you want. I generally get it with various types of seafood. They also make varieties with fried noodles inside. Over the top, you sprinkle dried skip jack/"bonito" flakes and seaweed, then pour a Japanese version of Worcestershire sauce, only thicker and fruitier, plus mayonnaise.
I know, it sounds pretty weird, but it's delicious! You often cook it yourself on a hot grill at your table at restaurants. Sometimes they cook it and serve you. Here are some photos from an outing to a nearby restaurant. Then Koji, the young man who's working with Bernd, helped me purchase the ingredients and wrote out a recipe complete with diagrams. I finally got brave and made it myself!! It turned out pretty well, too. It will be a challenge to find some of the ingredients in Albuquerque, but I think with the help of our good Asian market, I should be able to make it at home. :-)
Comments
Japanese Pizza?
Wow - this looks so tasty! Cannot wait to try it. The turning-it-over part looks like a major challenge, however.
Jackie