Easy and authentic Okonomiyaki

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Hi sorry for the long wait it's because I'm on holiday and have only just arrived for a few days so have been settling in and before I was busy packing and sorting things out :D

Do you love Japanese food? Do you wish you could eat Japanese food more often? Did you answer yes to them because if you did...Well I'm going to try grant your wish by sharing a simple yet authentic recipe for OKONOMIYAKI :)

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake where

Okonomi: "what you want"

Yaki: "grilled"

I'm sure you've heard of things like yaki soba or takoyaki 

Anyway this famous Japanese savoury pancake is sold in many different places in Japan and with each different area, there are different varieties of the pancake because they want to make theirs more unique so include different ingredients.

However, the main ingredient of the pancake and which I think is used in every type because it's the staple is cabbage. Usually the cabbage is shredded and mixed in the batter and when it cooks the cabbage becomes softer so therefore there's no need to cook it beforehand.

Eating okonomiyaki at restaurants is a really fun experience which I really want to try as well because often they just bring you the ingredients to the table and you can cook it yourself. This is great because then you're definitely choosing what you want and it seems super fun to cool it yourself.

This recipe I got from a friend of mine who lent me a Japanese cookbook unfortunately I don't have it anymore but it was an edition of the Australian Women's Weekly magazine.

This recipe is super simple which I love and you can always chop and cut up the ingredients beforehand if you're too busy at night :) 

Ill write out her recipe for you just so you have the guideline and then can choose yourself what you want/don't want to add

This is a page from the book which teaches you how to make primary/secondary dashi or instant dashi. I used instant dashi 

Ingredients

2 cups/300g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups/375ml secondary dashi

1 egg beaten lightly

2 large cabbage leaves

125g minced pork

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup/125ml Japanese Worcestershire sauce

2tbsp red pickled ginger

1 tbsp dried shredded seaweed

1/4 cup dried bonito flakes

I made mine without meat so the cooking process was much much quicker as I just simply had to make the batter mix in the cabbage and could then start cooking the pancakes. However even with the meat, it doesn't take very long so don't be put off :D

Okonomiyaki is always served with a dark sauce and mayonnaise and then most of the time it's topped with bonito flakes which are slightly salty. I love the sauces that mix in with the pancake as it makes it super flavourful and ultimately just really delicious.

This is a super basic okonomiyaki because we just wanted something simple to try out the recipe so we just had the pancake mix, prawns, cabbage and sauces. I didn't buy a bottle of the okonomiyaki sauce so had to make it myself, I got the recipe from: 

And I think it was very nice but I changed some of the quantities because of personal taste I guess. When you make the sauce make sure that you keep watching it and keep swirling the pot because it'll burn very quickly. I burnt mine first time round -_- so if you too want to make the sauce then check out this recipe and we also don't have japanese mayonnaise so I just simply substituted it with our regular mayonnaise. :D 

Method to make the okonomiyaki 

1/ sift together the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl, gradually add the dashi along with the egg and mix until the batter is smooth. Leave to stand for 30mins.

2/ remove the hard core from the cabbage and cut the cabbage into thin strips then add to the mixture along with the pork.

3/ heat some oil in the pan and then spoon the batter into the pan. Flip it over when bubbles appear on the surface. 

4/ Brush the cooked side with Worcestershire sauce and when the other side is done flip back over. Brush the other side with Worcestershire sauce and flip again. Make sure to do this quickly so that it doesn't burn. 

5/ remove from heat squirt over the sauce and add toppings of your choice :) 

My file card for okonomiyaki: sorry I don't have the icon for the bowls so ill just have to write numbers :3

Simplicity: 3.5

Taste: 4.5

Appearance: 3.5

Cost: 3.5

Healthiness: 3.5

Hope you liked it and will try it!!! Bye 

THE BEST Japanese cream cake with fresh fruit

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Hey everybody,

How are you all???

Today's post is going to be about a recipe that I discovered a short while ago which turned out really well. I made the cake for my father as part of father's day and it was a SUCCESS!

 

It looks like a lot of cream in the middle, sandwiching the layers, but it isn't actually that thick because I spread a layer of cream and placed strawberries on top and then the other cake slice. Then, I use cream to cover the sides of the middle so, the thickness is definitely not that much!!!

 

I've be searching on the internet and looking at books to find the best Japanese sponge cake recipe. Japanese sponge cake is different to the western style cake because it is much lighter and more airier. The usual style western sponge cake is typically more dense and is favoured in popular cakes such as the victoria sponge, lemon drizzle, chocolate cakes and even cupcakes. However, if you hop over to Japan or are lucky enough to have a Japanese cake shop near you, you'll find that they aren't dense and thick but super fluffy. And I love the sweet fresh fruit, because it makes the cake summery and also more healthy ;) It tastes fresh and good for the body!

Strawberries, plums, peaches and kiwi were my choice of fruit because they're in season

My personal bias is the Japanese style sponge, because I like the lightness of the cake and how you can eat a lot without feel 'stodgy' :D Chinese style cakes and korean style cakes are also composed of a lighter sponge cake base as well and all of these cakes are normally iced together with whipped cream and filled and topped with fresh fruit. It's a very simple and basic cake but super delicious. The lightness and simplicity appeals to most people and I'm definitely one of them. 

However, that's not to say that I don't like denser cakes, sometimes only dense cakes will do the job and provide a good base against heavier flavours like rich chocolate buttercream or the tart strawberry jam and sweet whipped cream in a victoria sponge. They can be heavier but still jaw droppingly delicious so it really depends on the cake and my mood :D BUT sometimes you don't even need a cake base for a scrumptious 'cake', confused?! What about cheesecake??? Cheesecake isn't made up of 'cake' but it's sooo tasty. I love cheesecake so much with the creamy cheese layer and the thick biscuit layer. It's a sin to have a thin biscuit layer because it just crumbles away, I mean that's the base and pillar of the cheesecake, what's going to support the cheese and sour cream layer if it's not there? Exactly...nothing

Back to the Japanese cake. So, I never ever ever give up and this time I'm super glad things worked out, I've already told you that I've tried lots of different recipes, all of which have not been what I call a success because some were so thin that they became dry very quickly or too soft and then the cake obtained moisture and became wet because of the bubbles inside. However, I kept looking for a recipe online because I knew that there must be someone out there who has found the key to the treasure trove and they did. 

This was the website that I went to and used the recipe for, though the recipe does not belong to the author but you can visit the blog to read it for yourself:

http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2013/04/japanese-strawberry-shortcake-again.html

Her cake looks super tasty right, I looked at it and thought, I have to make it too because I want to eat it!!! Unfortunately the egg yolks over here aren't as yellow so my sponge cakes weren't as gorgeously yellow as hers.

What I love about the recipe is that it's really simple, it may sound like work with the beating of the eggs over heat etc but it really doesn't take long. The recipe only makes one layer but I decided to make 2 because the layers do come out quite thin when I made it and make another batch was not a problem because you can make them pretty quickly. I didn't put all ingredients for two batches together at once because it might not have worked so I suggest you keep them separate because it honestly doesn't take that long. You can make one layer and put it in the oven and whilst it's baking make the next layer.

Oh and also, the author says to beat the eggs and sugar until it triples in volume and looks pretty white in colour, she said it took her almost 30 mins but with my electric hand held whisk I felt I had reached that stage by 6 mins but kept whisking until 8 mins had gone by. I'm not sure why hers took that long but I felt mine was fine and stopped and it still came out well, so maybe it depends on the power of your electric whisk. 

I also used 300ml of cream and whipped it and then frosted the cake but for some reason, I didn't have enough to cover the sides so next time I'm going to get a larger pot which is around 500ml because you can always find other uses with double cream like make creamy pasta, potato gratin, risotto or more desserts like eton mess :P

I also didn't use the syrup but maybe I'll try next time because I want to see what it tastes like, it was still really delicious (moist AND light), so I would definitely say that this is officially now my go to cake.I love love love it so much :D And I didn't use any alcohol at all because that's not really to my taste. 

I got a thinner cake because I used a larger cake tin, hers was 18cm in diameter but mine was 22.5 cm in diameter. I buttered the cake tins and lined them with parchment paper to make sure that they would come out easily, and also, I used spring form tins, so the cakes can be released with ease. 

Ingredients (for one layer)

Cake
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 60g caster sugar
- 60g cake flour (sifted) (I used sponge flour which I guess is the same because where I live, cake flour isn't available)
- 20g unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
 

 Filling 

Cream
- 300ml double cream (I'd recommend more just in case if you're making two layers)

 - 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 

 The recipe suggests 1 punnet fresh strawberries (250g)
But it's entirely up to you and feel free to add anymore other fresh fruit you want, I added kiwis, nectarines, plum...

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C. Beat together the eggs and sugar using a hand whisk that isn't electric, over a bain-marie (water bath- so have a bowl with water that's simmering and place a larger bowl on top of the bowl with the water making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water: therefore the steam from the water heats the mixture in the top bowl). Heat it until the sugar appears dissolved and the mixture is slightly warm. 

2.Take the bowl away from the heat and beat the mixture using a hand held electric whisk until the mixture TRIPLES in volume and the colour of the mixtures become whiteish. 

3.  The recipe also states that "towards the last 2 to 3 minutes, beat on the lowest speed to stabilise the mixture and eliminate large bubbles. When the egg mixture has reached the "ribbon stage", sift in the flour a little at a time (I would recommend in 3 stages)." 

4. Pour the butter into the cake batter and fold using a spatula, make sure that it has all been incorporated into the batter.

5. Pour the batter from a height of 30cm into the cake tin. Towards the end, pour the remaining batter to one side of the tin (I believe this prevents the cake from developing a dome).- I did one like this and one without pouring it towards the side to see if there was a difference and once baked, there was no difference so I don't think it is necessary.

5. Lift the tin and drop it gently onto the table top twice to eliminate air bubbles, this will prevent the cake from rising and then sinking a lot.

6. Bake the cake for 25 minutes. 

7. If you are going to make another layer, then do it at this stage. I really stress that two layers is good because it will then reach the same height as typical cakes, otherwise it'll be very thin and the cake can be hard to cut in half. 

7. Whip together the cream, sugar and vanilla until peaks form but it isn't stiff, place in the fridge to keep cool. 

8. When the cake is cooked, turn it onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool. I frosted the cake on the same day but if you don't, the author of the recipe says that you should wrap the cake using clingwrap when it is completely cooled if you do not intend to frost the cake on the same day (the cake keeps for 2 to 3 days, refrigerated). Otherwise, proceed to slice the cake in half, horizontally.(I didn't do this because I made two layers.

9. Dollop the cream onto the first layer of cake and spread it out so it covers the cake, placed the sliced strawberries flat side down onto the cake. Oh, make sure you choose roughly same sized strawberries so that the cake is balanced. Place the other layer of cake on top.

10. Frost the top of the cake with the cream and if you can the sides also. I think it looks more elegant if you frost the sides but because I didn't have enough, I just frosted the middle gap between the two cake layers. 

11. Place the other fruits on top and if you want a light sheen over the fruit heat together some apricot jam and a little water until it becomes sticky but spreadable. Then, dab over the fruits so that they look shiny and sweet looking.

13. Chill the cake in the fridge until ready to eat!  

Hope you liked the post and are tempted to try out the recipe as well because it's well worth it :DDD

Come back for another post very soon!

Omu Rice for dinner

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Hello readers...

I made dinner for the family along with my sister on Monday and we chose to make something that we've never done before. We love love love Japanese cuisine so out of these recipes we decided to make Omu Rice. Omu rice is very different to what I would expect it to be, in terms of what I consider Japanese food to be because I always think of simple light dishes, like sushi, udon noodles and donburi (rice bowls).

Do you know what Omu Rice is? To sum it up, it's chicken with pan fried rice and other ingredients wrapped together in an egg omelette.Then, as a typical and unique decoration, ketchup is squirted on top of the omelet in a sort of wave style...I'm not really too sure how to describe the shape so you can look it up or see my image :D It reminds me of the drawing style in mangas when they make omelets... don't you think?!

Omu rice was something I only recently heard of but I thought I would try it because it didn't seem too complex. It's only the little details that make it harder when you want it to be perfect, like folding the omelette over so it covers all the rice and is folded exactly half way so the parcel is equal :P

                         My file card for Omu Rice is:

Simplicity:

Taste:

Appearance:

Cost:

Healthiness:


I'd say the dish is quite simple to make because all it involves is the cooking of the rice and then pan frying it with the other ingredients before spooning it onto one side of the egg. The reason why I would rate it any higher would be because the egg section is a bit trickier. I poured the egg into the pan but trying to fold one side of the egg over the rice kept making the middle break or not flipping over entirely, so the omelette was effectively 'open'.

I tried different methods, such as pouring the egg out once it was cooked and then placing the rice but I think it is easier to do it in the pan but each person finds different things easier, so choose the method that works for you!

I did like the taste of the omu rice but I'm not sure if I could say that our dish was true to omu rice because we didn't add chicken but I think it would taste even better if it did. the appearance is simple with a cartoon aspect to it ^_^ but I don't look at it and think 'WOW'.

The cost for ours was reasonable because although we did use many ingredients, they weren't that expensive but I placed the cost towards more expensive because if there was meat, the dish would be more costly. Or if you chose other cuts/types of meat.

I rated the healthiness pretty high because you do gain a lot of nutrients out of this, there's protein with the egg, prawns and meat and vegetables with the peas and sweetcorn and of course you can add more variety of ingredients to make it even more healthier. The only parts which isn't as healthy is the oil to cook the egg and the small amount of oil when you place the meats and vegetables into the pan with the rice. The amount of oil really isn't a lot, so I wouldn't take off a lot of points for unhealthiness. I don't think you need too much oil because then the rice will just become oily, for me, the main purpose would be to warm up the rice and make it drier. Oh, and the amount is salt that you're putting in is pretty minimal because of the use of soy sauce. Yep, soy sauce is pretty salty so I guess it counteracts the salt so hmmm....

Omu rice is a very creative dish that doesn't require a long time to make or prepare. Busy schedule? You can always chop up some of the ingredients beforehand and put them on the side and make the rice ahead of time. Then, when you are ready, start by heating the rice, meat and vegetables and then, you can start on the egg. Though the process may be sort of tiring as I did it individually...So get a helper!!!

This recipe serves 5- the amount of things that you put into the rice is down to your personal preference, this is just the amounts that I used

3 cups of rice, cooked and at room temperature. (it's best to have your rice a little drier than it being too soft)

10 cooked prawns
Handful of peas
Handful of sweetcorn
6 crabsticks
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 frankfurters (Heated and browned slightly)
1 thin slice of garlic- less than half a cm thick
2 tbsp soy sauce (you can add l
2 tbsp ketchup

As there are only four of us, we used 8 eggs, two per person but then we had a lot of rice extra so if you want to give everyone 2 eggs for the omelette then you should reserve 10 eggs! I know that is a lot :P

Then, the rest is:

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat, squirt with a tablespoon of oil and allow to heat for around 20 seconds. Then, add in all the ingredients minus the eggs and rice. Stir until everything is nicely distributed.

2. Start adding in the rice a little at a time. You want to make sure that the rice isn't stuck together, so just break it roughly with a wooden spoon.once all the rice has been added in, pour in the soy sauce and the ketchup in, mix until fully incorporated. Once nice and hot, turn the heat off and put to one side.

 3. In a separate pan (make sure the bottom of this is flat, so the omelette is round and an appropriate size), heat the pan until very hot. When it is very hot, add in a teaspoon of oil. Now wait for this to become very hot, it's important that both these steps reach high heat so that the egg won't stick onto the pan. Then add in the egg. There's no need to flip, but once you see that the top is starting to cook, spoon some rice onto one half of the omelette and then lift the other side of the egg on top of the rice.

4. Take out onto a plate-very carefully!!!- then squirt the ketchup in that cartoon style. Serve immediately :)

If you are making it with chicken, cook the chicken until it is done and then add the other ingredients in, so do it before step 1.


Okay, hope you like the recipe and will give it a go! See you guys soon.