A Japanese Lesson in the Kitchen

 

This week a good friend of mine, Yoko, came to visit from Tokyo. We had so much fun and I was honored that she included Indiana on her “places to venture list” in the states. I wanted to share her recipe for Okonomiyaki- a Japanese pancake/pizza-type of dish. The first time that I tasted this dish, I fell in love. It was in Hiroshima during a typhoon. I was performing in Japan at the time with a Broadway musical and our show was canceled because of the horrible weather. It didn’t stop me from venturing out though with my umbrella in hand, although I’m not sure it did me that much good. The restaurant was close, and the owners were so nice and helpful. They even walked with us in the rain to help us find another shop that they were recommending. Did I mention we were having a typhoon?! The hospitality in Japan is quite unbelievable, what an amazing country. So here are some pictures and a recipe for you to try at home. A quick trip to your local Japanese market and you’ll be all set with ingredients. To clarify, this is Osaka style Okonomiyaki and not the Hiroshima style (which is equally as amazing).  Oyishi desu (It’s delicious)!

What you need:

1. Okonomiyaki Flour (also known to Japanese as “Special Taste Flour/Tasty Flour”
2. Dried Shrimp (these are tiny, red dried shrimp) optional but encouraged
3. Tempura bits (they are dried and looks like little balls of tempura batter droppings)
4. Meat of your choice-we chose fresh cooked shrimp and thinly sliced pork-We chose to get our meat from Whole Foods Market and purchased 4 cooked shrimp (yes we got a laugh from the seafood counter when we only ordered 4 shrimp), and one thinly sliced pork chop.  You will have to emphasize that you need this meat paper thin or ask that they hand slice it for you as only Asian markets have this type of thinly sliced meat. It is also common to use octopus or squid in Okonomiyaki as a meat. PS-usually only one meat per pancake is best. I’ve read recipes that use bacon too!
5. Green Cabbage-sliced into thin (1/4 inch) strips (we also bought our fresh cabbage from Whole Foods Market)
6. Japanese onions or scallions/green onions (optional)
7. Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes)
8. Okonomiyaki Sauce (this is a brown sauce in a squeeze bottle)
9. Mayonnaise-if you see this in a squeeze bottle in the Japanese market, grab it, otherwise Hellman’s or any mayo works just fine 🙂
10. 2 T vegetable oil

Method prep 10 minutes cooking time 20 minutes (Makes 2 Okonomiyaki pancakes)

Slice cabbage into thin strips and place into a bowl (around 3 cups tightly packed). In a separate larger bowl, pour in 1 cup of water. Add 100g or slightly less than 1 cup of Okonomiyaki flour. Add cabbage, tiny shrimps and tempura bits and Japanese onion if using. Slowly (and carefully) mix everything together with a large spoon. *note* if little hands are helping you, be sure they mix the ingredients slowly, or they will get flour puffing up in their face! You can stop mixing once all the ingredients are fully incorporated, flour is mixed in and the cabbage is fully coated with the batter. Place cabbage pancakes (about 1.5 inches thick) on a hot griddle coated with vegetable oil-don’t use olive or coconut. We used a non-stick frying pan which will work, but the pancakes cook more evenly on a griddle. Then place the meat (shrimp, pork, or whatever you choose) on top of the pancake in a single layer. Cook on Med-High. You want the pancake to brown slightly, but not get too dark. Watch to be careful not to burn! Cook for about 5 minutes, flip and cook for another 5 minutes. You need to check to make sure the pancake is cooked in the middle. If it is not cooked, you will see the batter still “liquidy” on the inside. Continue to cook and flip until center is formed and meat is cooked throughly. Place pancakes on plate and top with mayo, Okonomiyaki Sauce and Bonito Flakes. Seaweed flakes also make a good topper!  Enjoy!

In this first picture, you will see the ingredients from the Japanese market. From back left to right: miso soup packets-not needed for this recipe, but would make a great addition to your meal, Okonomiyaki sauce, Okonomiyaki flour. Front left to right: tiny dried shrimps, tempura, and bonito flakes. In the second photo is the finished product. I also shared some pictures from our meal.

A Perfect Day

Creating makes a day pretty perfect. Today started out with me checking the temp to see if we could get outside and it was far too cold, possibly the coldest day of the year today and that was fine. The day consisted of fun games with the littles, making good progress on a doll dress along with making good progress on Corabelle’s Valentine’s Day dress. Sewing with my Mom brings me such joy. I love her sewing machine that she has so graciously let me borrow as I navigate through this doll making adventure. It’s old and heavy, a nice cast iron Kenmore. It’s nothing fancy, and it makes me smile. What I create from it and the time spent with my Mom makes me smile even more. The fabric is “llama love”  from Monaluna. This pattern is Suzanne from Citronille and has been lots of fun to navigate…with my Mom’s guidance of course. Tomorrow I will start on a new doll, which I’ve been putting off to get Corabelle’s dress done in time along with getting wrapped up in regular chores and activity around the house. But for now, it’s time for chocolate and the Olympics…and some much appreciated quiet time.