13 10 2004
(Culinary) adventures in Japan
Episode 253. Okonomiyaki, take 1.
Some okonomiyaki sauce caught my eye at the supermarket today, and I
figured it was time I try and make some. I've attempted this before
with someone else (thanks K - that was fun), but I couldn't remember
all of the specifics.
I located some other ingredients like prawns, aonori (green ground
seaweed), cabbage, and premade okonomiyaki powder. I tried to read the
back of the packet with moderate success - but there were a few kanji
I didn't recognise. When I got home I tried to look them up, but some
of them I couldn't find in my dictionary so I gave up and decided to
wing it.
When making the okonomiyaki I realised I'd forgotten katsuo bushi -
bonito flakes, which are dry, thinly sliced flakes of fish. They're
not essential, but they're nice. Later, I realised what one of the
kanji I couldn't read meant, too - tamago, or egg. Oh well. I poured
in extra powder trying to thicken the mix up. It seemed to work
alright.
Okonomiyaki is a cross between pizza and a pancake - sort of like a
fritter but with cabbage and sauce on top. I managed to cook it
alright, though it fell into a few pieces when I tried to turn it, due
to the lack of egg.
Despite the missing ingredients it turned out pretty well. Yum.