Okonomiyaki...say that again?

Konnichiwa! Hello from Japan! I'm finally getting around to showing you some of the incredible sights and foods that I experienced when I traveled to Japan last fall. I can't even begin to tell you what a beautiful and lovely country Japan is. I hope you all are fortunate enough to get to see this amazing country for yourselves someday! I'm going to apologize in advance, because there were so many wonderful things that we saw and I really am just showing you the smallest fraction of them, but this post may be a bit lengthy! It's worth getting through it though, I promise!

We chose mid November, to take advantage of the the fall leaf viewing, which they call Koyo. This time of year is as glorious as the cherry blossoms in April are, but it occurs over a couple of months time, so you will be sure to find some incredible color if you go to the right spots. We traveled for two weeks, which really only allowed us to see a small portion of this glorious group of Islands.

Our travels began in Tokyo, which we used as a base for the first five days, taking day trips out of the city to see some interesting smaller towns. We stayed at a hip, smaller hotel called The Moxy. It was perfect for us and although the rooms are quite small, they have large contemporary bathrooms and anything you might need. The best part was that we were within very close walking distance to the Kinshicho train station, which could quickly and easily whisk us off to all parts of this exciting country.

Here is the Senso-Ji temple, right in Tokyo!

There is so much to see in the city of Tokyo! We spent two full days just wandering around and walked fifteen miles one day! The famous shopping area, Harajuku is a must see to find all manner of attire and interesting gifts!

We, of course, had to see the famous Shibuya Crossing! This is a huge intersection also called the Shibuya Scramble that is known as the busiest intersection in the world! After experiencing it myself, I believe it! All of the cars come to a complete stop and the pedestrians stream through the intersection from all directions. Mass chaos, but somehow it works!

The trains in Japan are amazing and very efficient. If you are lucky, you might even get to experience the Bullet Trains! Super high speed and very luxurious. I suggest getting a Japan Rail Pass, which will get you around, on most trains, quite easily. Just make sure you have extra battery packs for your cell phones, as navigating the train stations, subway stations and platforms is a real puzzle! We used our Google maps to help us with this and it was a godsend.

After a couple of days in Tokyo, seeing a few glorious temples, gardens, shopping areas and such, we ventured out to Kamakura, a quaint little coastal town that is also home to the Giant Buddha. What a sight! It's breathtaking and so striking against the pale blue skies.

On another lovely autumn day, we took a trip to the charming town of Nikko, where we got our first taste of the Koyo, fall leaves. Our day started with this unbelievable sight below, the Shinkyo Bridge. The leaves were just beginning to turn here and provided a colorful, soft backdrop for the stunning orange bridge.

There are so many unforgettable sights in Nikko and I wish I could show them all to you! But, I want to get to the next leg of our journey! We took the bullet train, or Shinkansen as they call it, down to Kyoto, where we were even more awed by the beauty of the temples and leaves! Kyoto is just a magical place filled with history and beauty. This is an area not to be missed!

We stayed in a hotel with spa facilities called a Ryokan. These Ryokans are found all over Japan and will have some kind of hot springs to enjoy, along with a more authentic Japanese décor and feel. Our hotel was the Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urishitei, which was perfectly placed just a few short blocks from the famous Nishiki Market. I must tell you that I could have spent the next few days just exploring the Nishiki Market and trying all of the bizarre and tasty treats they offer there! I did try a few things and everything was so delicious! Ok, I didn't try those octopus on a stick, but I was very tempted!

I was surprised to discover that, in Japan, they make an abundance of foods into the shape of balls and often put them on sticks. I love this! I had been very excited to try the Takoyaki, octopus balls! They are made in a strange pan that turns them into spheres. The base is really like a savory pancake, filled with cheese, onion, pickled ginger and finally...octopus! They drizzle them with an earthy, sweet sauce, top them with bonito flakes and serve them to go! Delicious!

I just had to interject some of the amazing food here, and there will be more, but on to the sights of Kyoto and surrounding areas! We headed out of town just a bit and discovered the giant bamboo forest. So majestic! We happened upon a couple in traditional Japanese clothing, who were strolling along the path and I couldn't help capturing them among the tall green stalks.

After the bamboo forest, we stumbled onto a little hidden gem of a garden and our minds were blown with the fall leaves and all of the vibrant colors! I'd never seen anything like that in my life!

Okochi Sanso Garden was a dream...I felt like I was in a colorful fairyland!

Another impressive sight, just outside of Kyoto, was the Fushimi Inari Shrine with it's brilliant orange shrine and tori gates. I got lucky at the end of the day and found a spot without any people!

We also took at day trip and went to Osaka to see the famous Osaka Castle. It was magnificent!

Guys...there are just so many more things to show you! More food, more temples, more fall leaves (I have thousands of pictures!), but I really want to get to one of my favorite meals of the entire trip! We just happened upon a tiny place in Kyoto, serving Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki that was out of this world!

When I say tiny, I mean tiny! There were literally eight seats total! We all sat around the grill and our chef cooked the wondrous delights right in front of us and served them on the grill itself! Those Japanese are efficient! Very few plates or dishwashing!

First the Yakisoba...

Then the Okonomiyaki! We had to order two of the most iconic dishes in Japan! The Yakisoba is grilled soba noodles mixed with different meats and vegetables and the Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake filled with cabbage and other goodies and often topped with thinly sliced pork belly, and then cooked on the flattop. Add a little sake and you have an unforgettable meal!

I want to show you how to recreate this delicious dish at home! Honestly, they are really not that hard to make. Give it a try! I know you will be thanking me later for taking you on this culinary journey to Japan.

If you have an Asian market nearby (and who doesn't, these days?), you can pick up all of these ingredients easily there. If not, then most of the large chain supermarkets have these things in their Asian sections. If, for some reason, you can't find an ingredient, just leave it out or sub in something similar. These pancakes are kind of a canvas and you can add in veggies or other meats, play around with it a little! I tried two versions, one with seafood and one with the pork belly. You could easily do a vegetarian option using just the cabbage, with green onion, mushrooms, shredded carrot or what ever veggies you like. You can also leave out the cheese if you wish, as I did with the seafood version.

First thing to do is make the batter base by mixing up some Dashi broth. Just mix 3/4 cup of water with a teaspoon of the dried Dashi powder, in a large bowl. Then, whisk in 1 cup of the Okonomiyaki flour or the homemade flour mix. I have to admit something here. I used the Okonomiyaki flour because I wanted it to be authentic, but you can easily substitute the regular flour mix (For my Plant Paradoxers out there, I don't know if using other flours will give the same result, but I imagine that you can sub in Cassava Flour. I'll give it a try at some point and let you know! For now, this recipe has gluten, so beware, if you have issues with that). Cover the batter and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour.

While the batter rests, chop up the cabbage and sprinkle it with salt and let it drain in a bowl lined with paper towels. This will release the moisture, so the pancakes aren't soggy. Let the cabbage drain while the batter is resting. Get the rest of your ingredients ready now.

After an hour, pull out the batter and whisk in the eggs and pickled ginger.

Now is the time to add in the various options you want. I split up the batter into two separate bowls. I added the cheese to half of my batter and then cooked that batch with the pork belly. I used the other half and added in the seafood and green onions.

Next, mix in the cabbage in three batches. Combine completely after each third is mixed in. It seems like a lot of cabbage, but it will all mix together, I promise!

Now it's time to cook! Use a non-stick pan and pour in 1 teaspoon of avocado oil, or what ever mild flavored oil you like, plus the drop of sesame oil. Let that heat up over medium heat. Scoop out a cup or so of batter and gently lay it in the pan, shaping it into a circle that is about 5 or 6 inches and about 1/2" thick. Don't press it down! You want the batter to fluff up. Cover the pancake and let it cook for 5 minutes until the bottom is nicely browned. Uncover the pan and flip the pancake to the other side, cover and brown that side, cooking another 5 minutes or so. I found that using a small plate to flip the cake worked really well. Traditionally, they use two long spatulas to do it but I only had one, so that plate stood in just fine! If it gets away from you a little, just use the spatula to reform it into a circle. Don't worry! It's a little loose at this point. Just get it back to it's shape and let it cook.

After browning on both sides, flip the pancake over one more time back and cook an additional 2 minutes. Now you are ready to remove it from the pan and try again! Not too difficult! Keep the cakes warm while you continue to cook the rest of the batter.

Now comes the most delicious part, the toppings! These are a must for the dish. You can get them in the Asian market for sure, or do your best in your local market. The Okonomiyaki sauce can be made at home if you can't find it, and I've included a recipe below for you. That sauce is drizzled on first, followed by the Japanese Mayo (or Kewpie Mayo). A good substitute for that would be Miracle Whip. Next comes a dusting of bonito flakes and a shake of Furikake, a seaweed seasoning blend that really adds a pop of flavor. And you're done!

So there you go! Okonomiyaki! I know you all have extra time on your hands right now, so there is no excuse not to try this authentic Japanese dish tonight!

And...don't forget the sake! Mata ne! (see you soon!)

Osaka –Style Okonomiyaki

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 cup okonomiyaki flour

Or homemade mix:

• 1 cup flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ cup Dashi broth (3/4 cup water +1 teaspoon Dashi powder)

• 1 medium head green cabbage, chopped - about 8-9 cups

• ¼ cup pickled ginger

• 4 eggs

• 6 teaspoons avocado oil

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Options for different versions:

Option #1-

• ¼ cup mild cheese, grated (jack, mild cheddar, fontina, etc.)

• ½ pound sliced pork belly or thinly sliced bacon, partially cooked

Option #2-

• 1/2 pound seafood (shrimp, scallops, crab, etc. or a mix of any)

• 2 green onions, sliced

Toppings:

• Okonomiyaki sauce*

• Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie Mayo)

• dried bonito flakes

• Furikake

*Homemade Okonomiyaki sauce =

• 4 tablespoons ketchup

• 3 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 2

Directions:

In a medium bowl, make the Dashi broth by mixing 3/4 cup of water with 1 teaspoon of powdered Dashi. Add in 1 cup of Okonomiyaki flour or homemade flour mixture and whisk to blend. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the batter chills, chop the cabbage into small pieces. Line a large bowl with paper towels and put the cabbage in, sprinkling with a little salt just to help release moisture.

After an hour, remove the batter from the refrigerator. Mix in the eggs and pickled ginger. This is the time to also add in the other optional ingredients such as cheese, seafood and vegetables.

Option #1 - add in green onions and seafood,

Option #2 - add in the cheese and later add the pork belly on top while it cooks.

(You can also split the batter in two and make both versions, as I did).

Once everything is mixed in, begin to add in the cabbage in thirds, combining completely after each addition. Once all of the cabbage is mixed in, you are ready to start cooking (it seems like a lot of cabbage, but it does mix together in the end).

Heat a small nonstick pan and add in 1 teaspoon of oil and a drop of sesame oil. Heat on medium heat. Scoop out about 1 cup of cabbage mixture, depending on how large you want your pancakes to be, and spread it out to make a 5" to 6 “circle, about ½” thick (If you are using the authentic version with the pork belly, lay the thin slices on top of the pancake now). Do not press down at this point. Cover the pancake with a lid. Cook the pancake on this side for about 5 minutes or until the bottom has browned. Once browned, using two large spatulas or a plate, (which I found to be easier) flip the pancake over and cook on the other side, pressing down just a bit. If it falls apart a little, don’t worry, just smooth it back into a circle. Cover again and let it cook another 5 minutes on the other side. After it browns, turn it over one more time and let cook for another 2 minutes. Cook all the batter in this manner and keep the pancakes warm while you cook the remaining batter. .

Once you are finished cooking all of the pancakes, serve each one, topping them with a drizzle of Okonomiyaki sauce, then a drizzle of Japanese Mayo, then sprinkle with bonito flakes and furikake.