Feb 11, 2009 0
Today a good friend of mine in my neighborhood, from the city of Akita, Japan, shared with me his recipe for Okonomi Yaki Sauce (aka Okonomi Sauce). He warned me that it takes a long time, “all day!” — to make it. With a brave look on my face I said, “I’ll do my best!”
And then with a twinkle in his eye, he told me a shortcut okonomi sauce recipe that works “almost as well”.
I have moved this recipe to its own page so it can be found easily!
Feb 10, 2009 0
Here’s a fantastic idea to spread the joy of okonomiyaki — an okonomiyaki party!
Go check out the fun pictures that bloggers Matt and Tazbaa took of their okonomiyaki, covered in the traditional Kewpie mayo and Okonomi sauce.
Very authentic and home-style! Looks yummy!
I’m getting inspired to host my own sort of “as you like it” party as my okonomiyaki recipes get better. The kitchen will be swimming in cabbage, I’m sure. Stay tuned!
Feb 4, 2009 0
Put simply, Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake that’s been made in Japan since World War II. Like most countries in the world at that time, Japan experienced severe food shortages that led them to switch to ingredients that could be grown or bought in large quantites cheaply. Wheat and cabbage were high on the list of cheap and plentiful ingredients, with eggs in decent supply, and thus a savory pancake made of flour, egg, and cabbage pancake was born.
The making of this humble subsistence food turned into a celebrated and specialized craft, with many restaurants serving only okonomiyaki. The popularity of this dish, termed “okonomi – yaki” which loosely means “whatever you like, grilled”, grew and spread all over Japan, with many regions developing their own standardardized versions of it. Over at JapanSugoi.com, there’s a fantastic overview of okonomiyaki and various ways it’s made in different parts of Japan (complete with patrons exclaiming “oishii!!” and “umai!!” in reaction to everything they eat — very Japanese TV).
My favorite style is Hiroshima okonomiyaki, often seen shortened to “Hiroshima-yaki”. Here’s a photo I took in Kyoto during New Year’s (shougatsu) festival, where a bunch of guys in this stall were making what quickly became my favorite okonomiyaki recipe.
No okonomiyaki recipe is complete without okonomi sauce! This somewhat mysterious, proprietary, very Japanese concoction can be made at home, but for the most authentic okonomiyaki experience, I say just buy the sauce. You can find it at many Asian grocery stores, and it’s simply labeled “Okonomi sauce” or “Okonomiyaki sauce”. If that’s not on the shelf, Tonkatsu sauce is quite similar, as is Takoyaki sauce.
Having trouble locating Okonomiyaki sauce in your area? Amazon’s got it!
