French Toast Cubes with Salted Honey Custard
10 months ago
Itadakimasu: Okonomiyaki for me and you!
Ever since the catastrophic events in Japan last week, both the country itself and the welfare of the kind-hearted Japanese people has been weighing quite heavily on my mind... I sincerely hope that things over there will soon take a turn for the better and that the cleanup, reconstruction and healing can soon begin. My thoughts are with the Japanese people, daily.
If you have not already done so I highly recommend you donate whatever sum you may be able to spare to a reputable aid organization such as Care or Medicins San Frontieres, International Rescue Committee (each rated A, A and A+ respectively by the American Institute of Philanthropy). Better yet, if you have some time and the resources, why not organize or participate in a fundraiser? There are plenty of artists who will be donating 100% of the proceeds from specially created artwork to disaster aid in Japan.
In the spring of 2008 I was fortunate enough to embark upon the most memorable journey to Japan. Having already had a longstanding interest in Japanese culture I was eager to soak in all the new adventures my trip would have to offer, and thanks to the warm hospitality of everyone I met over there and due to the tremendously benevolent nature of my wonderful friend (and tour guide) Chie Manabe, my trip was a wealth of new experiences, both culinary and otherwise!
In the modern western world, when I say Japanese food most people seem to think of sushi and teriyaki as it is the type of food that's been most widely embraced here, and this is especially so here in Montreal. However, as I soon discovered with the aid of of the lovely Chie, these items are just the tip of the iceberg of culinary delights that Japan has to offer.
While Okonomiyaki originates from the Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan and is a popular food across the country, it is especially popular in Osaka where my plane landed. So where did Chie and Noriko wisk me off to after they met me at the airport? To an Okonomiyaki restaurant of course!
I had eaten Okonomiyaki a few times prior to my trip, but eating Okonomiyaki in Japan is whole different experience, especially since most restaurants prepare these savoury pancakes right in front of you in a hotplate or grill built into the table. The best part is that once they mix up the ingredients in a bowl and assemble the pancake, they hand the spatula over to you and it is up to you to oversee the cooking!
The recipe below is a simplified version with a thin egg batter base, but in order to enjoy this treat you will have to source out the topping mentioned below from an asian grocer because Okonomiyaki is not Okonomiyaki without Okonomi sauce at the very least! That and the famous Kewpie mayonnaise... it's a mouth-watering delight and if you're like most people, after trying this for the first time you may likely find yourself having very strong cravings for this dish which referred to by some as "Osaka soul food."
Okonomiyaki
Serves two hungry people (4 medium sized pancakes)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour - Easy blend, or Okonomiyaki flour (which has yam startch in it to help binding) work better than regular - but I used 1/2 easy blend, 1/4 cup regular and it works great
• 3/4 cup water
• 8-9 cabbage leaves, washed, spine removed and chopped into thin 1-2" strips (about 4 cups)
• 2 green onions sliced thinly on the diagonal
• 1/4 cup Tenkasu or Panko (optional) crumbs
(Rice Crispies could work too!)
• about 1/8 cup minced pickled ginger
• 4 slices bacon cut in half
• 1 tsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
other fun stuff you can add:
• 1 tin salad or cocktail shrimp or 1 tin canned crab meat
• 1 cup chopped oyster mushroom or octopus
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots or other veggie
• kimchi
• AND whatever ever else you want to try, let me know what works for you!
condiments for serving:
Okonomi sauce
Kewpie mayonnaise
Katsuboshi (Bonito) flakes (optional but recommended)
Aonori flakes (optional)
In a large bowl, whisk together flour and water. Lightly whisk eggs in and stir in cabbage, green onions, Tenkasu if using, and pickled ginger. Lightly stir in any other ingredients except bacon.
Heat large pan on medium-high heat until hot, add half the blended oils, heat slightly then spoon out the batter into pan making thick pancake like shapes about 3-4 inches in diametre, using 1/4 of the batter each (or alternatively if you like you can make one large pancake using half of the batter, but this will fill the whole pan).
Pat down with spatula and then spread two bacon half-slices across each pancake. Cook covered about 3 minutes then turn carefully using two spatulas.
Then cook uncovered another 5 minutes or so, then turn again to check bacon well browned. Cook another 2-3 minutes if needed then serve, or place on plate or sheet in prewarmed over (about 200 degrees is fine) until next batch is ready (unless you're using an electric griddle, you'll probably only fit two pancakes per round).
To serve place Okonomiyaki on plate and drizzle with Okonomi sauce in one direction, Kewpie mayonnaise in the other (diagonal) direction and top with Katsuboshi and Aonoari flakes.
Itadakimasu!!! Lick you lips and dig in!
A note on Japanese cuisine:
Discovering cuisine from other countries has never been more easy than it is nowadays. Tons of blog posts, websites and videos are out there to help to whet your appetite for any type of food you may want to explore. I find the Youtube channel Cooking With Dog to be both informative and entertaining.
“Every time you eat something new, you add 75 days to your life.”
- Japanese Proverb
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I don't really love oknomiyaki but when I have a choice, I prefer the way that it is prepared in Hiroshima. It is certainly packed with lots of ingredients. Rakuten market has lots of the ingredients for people overseas who want to try it.
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