The obsession with Japan continues...

It has been a long time coming, but in recent months I have become nothing short of obsessed with everything Japanese. Not being a big fish eater, I spent many years writing off Japanese food and it turns out this was a BIG mistake on my part! I now wake up in the night craving ramen and have been driving people around me mad with anecdotes from Michael's Booth's fantastic book "Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking". A man after my own heart, and stomach.

After an impromptu trip to Japan with a good friend last year we, along with Miss Feathers, have spent a long time trying to find authentic Japanese food in Sydney and recreate it at home with varying levels of success. But on Saturday we hit the jackpot! Real Okonomiyaki at home! Whilst in Japan, we were a bit intimidated by this dish after we had our chopstick technique critiqued by an old man in Hiroshima, so although this is often "cooked youself" on a hotplate built into the table, we insisted it be cooked by the chef. We made out like it was too hot to have the table burner on but really we were just afraid of looking even more like idiots. At home, I have no such qualms.

Simple and delicious, Okonomiyaki is effectively a Japanese pancake - filled with whatever you desire. A cross between an omlette and a crepe they are easy to make and super filling!

To make this at home I would recommend investing in genuine flour, mayonaise and the secret sauce. For the true experience you should also get the bonito flakes which dance illustriously from the steam of the dish.

 From here - it is very straightforward. Mixing the flour (1cup) with stock or dashi (625mL) then leaving it to rest in the fridge for an hour. Add some shredded chinese cabbage, shallots and 2 eggs mixing to form a batter. Don't panic if you feel like you have "over cabbaged" as it wilts in the batter and shrinks when cooked.

Pour the mixture into a heated, non stick frying pan and while the bottom is cooking, sprinkle your desired "topping" on the top. We chose fried soba noodles and ham.

After about 5 minutes - flip the pancake over (so it is effectively on top of your toppings).

For me, this was a highlight of the whole experience. We had two egg flips going simultaneously and managed to weild it so that we got it over in one smooth turn. To say we were pleased with ourselves would be an understatement. High fives all round.

We may have got a little over confident because our second attempt broke in half and landed most of the ham on the stove top.

 Once cooked to your liking, flip it back onto a plate and decorate with the secret sauces and bontio flakes.  

Oishii! But in hindsight the second batch was a mistake...so full...can't breathe...