Okonomiyaki!!!
So, after reading Ashcraft’s post on Kotaku, I decided that I just HAD to make my own Okonomiyaki! If you don’t know, Okonomiyaki is a dish that you make “as you like it”. Basically it starts with a batter, and you add whatever you want to it. The result is a delicious fritter/pancake that you can eat as a snack or a meal.
So, I started searching for some Okonomiyaki recipes, preferably something simple so that I could tell whether or not I would like it. What I came up with was this recipe from Recipe Zaar. Of course, I planned on using the basic mix with my own modifications. After all, this is a dish that is meant to be personalized!
The first step was to mix the batter together, which contains flour, egg, water, salt and pepper.
Then comes the diced ham and….
…chopped onion! The recipe calls for cabbage, but that was the only thing that I forgot to get at the store! The addition of chopped onion would make up for this though. I almost added some sliced jalapeño, but in the end I was glad I didn’t. It didn’t need it, and chicken would be better if you’re going to add heat to the Okonomiyaki.
Now the ham and onion are mixed in with the batter. I also added some garlic powder.
While heating up the frying pan, I mixed up the sauce to go on top. Since I didn’t have Okonomiyaki sauce, I used the recipe’s suggested mixture of mayo and barbecue sauce, which worked out pretty well. It has a pretty nice consistency, and was nice and tangy.
By this time, the frying pan was hot, so I added a little oil to the pan. Then, added the entire batter mixture. Both sides need to be browned.
Now that the fritter is browned and cooked thoroughly, it’s time to put on the Okonomiyaki sauce.
This is what the inside looks like. Sort of like a pancake! I imagine that you could change the recipe to include fruit or oast instead, and make a breakfast or dessert Okonomiyaki! I’ll have to try that next. Maybe I will even add chocolate chips!
So, how does it taste?? Delicious. I definitely approve, and I will definitely be making this again! It was really easier than I had imagined. Adding something like cabbage or bean sprouts would probably make this less cake-like. I’ll try that next time.
