1/21/2008

Let's Cook OKONOMIYAKI!!!!

What's cooked like a pancake and taste oh so good? Wrong! It's Okonomiyaki! This delicious Japanese dish was something I had while I was in Fukuoka. I never knew of this dish until my girlfriend introduced me to it. Okonomiyaki is made up of flour, egg, cabbage, assorted meats, vegetables, firewood fish flakes(or Katsuo), mayonnaise, and okonomi sauce. You can pretty much put whatever your want in here. For those who haven't tried this dish, its a must have. If you live in the Bay Area California, the closest place that I know of that sells this dish is in Japan Town in San Francisco. Here's a picture of Okonomiyaki provided by The Tasty Island.
Okonomiyaki ha oishiso desune? Well, probably to the eyes of some it may not look like the most delicious thing in the world, but when you sink your mouth into this treat you'll feel like you're in heaven.  Try finding a Japanese restaurant around your area and ask if they cook Okonomiyaki. 

For those who can't make it out to a Japanese restaurant, don't worry. Here's a link to get you started in creating this dish. OKONOMIYAKI

You can make this dish at home. It's quite easy. Here's my version of okonomiyaki with not so traditional ingredients:
To make this Okonomiyaki American style here's a list of ingredients:
1cup of buttermilk pancake mix
3/4cup of water
1cup of diced chuck eye steak(or any meat of your choice)
bar b q sauce
mayonnaise
and rice seasoning(with seaweed and sesame seed)
2 cap full of vegetable oil

This is how you put it together:

1. Mix the 1cup buttermilk pancake mix and 3/4 cup of water in a bowl. Mix until all lumps are gone. Your batter should have a fine texture to it.


2. Take the 1 cup of diced chuck eye steak and cook it until meat is fully cooked.


3. Add cooked steak to batter. Stir into batter turns a slight brown.


4. It's recommended that you cook this on a flat pan. If you don't have one then don't worry. 


5. Heat pan at medium temperature. Then add the 2 cap full of vegetable oil. 


6. When the the oil is bubbling add half of the batter to the pan. 


7. Heat up both sides until brown. The tricky part is flipping it. Good luck with that.


8. Once both sides are browned. Pour about a quarter size amount of mayonnaise on the okonomiyaki. Then add about the same amount of bar b q sauce. Mix the two together. Keep in mind the Okonomiyaki is still on the pan. So you have to do this quickly. 


9. Finally, add the rice sprinkles and firewood fish flakes. Then Viola! Okonomiyaki American style! 


This will cook approximately two servings. Make sure to eat with rice. Why? Well, it just taste better with rice. You might not get it right the first time, but don't fret. Practice makes perfect. Enjoy your meal everyone. Good luck! Tabemasho! 



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