Flour-based Snacks (Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, etc.)
Okonomiyaki
Okonimiyaki is a flour-based snack dish.
"Okonomi" means "what you like" or "what you want", and "yaki" means "grilled" or "cooked".
A generous amount of shredded cabbage, green onions, and Tenkasu (tenpura scraps) are mixed into a wheat flour batter.
And it is then cooked like a pancake on a hot iron griddle.
There are also menu options that allow you to add toppings such as sliced pork, squid, and shrimp.
After it is cooked, the surface is brushed with a special, thickened, and sweetened Worcestershire sauce and a generous amount of "Aonori" (dried green seaweed) powder is sprinkled over it.
Generally, Okonomiyaki is cooked on a griddle just in front of the customer.
Customers can cut it using a metal spatula and enjoy the piping-hot Okonomiyaki.
There are many small restaurants for Okonomiyaki in Japan.
And, we can find Okonomiyaki at the section for prepared dish or takeout dish in many big supermarkets or department stores.
In addition, when various festivals are held, we can certainly find the street stalls for Okonomiyaki.
Because Okonomiyaki is eaten while walking in such event, it is a nice snack food.
By the way, there are two types of Okonomiyaki.
They are Kansai-type and Hiroshima-type.
Kansai-style Okonomiyaki
Kansai is the name of the area around Osaka.
This is the standard style of Okonomiyaki throughout Japan.
A dish like okonomiyaki originally originated in Tokyo.
From the 1940s, it developed in Osaka, and this Kansai-style okonomiyaki became established.
The basic style of okonomiyaki described above can be referred to as the Kansai style.
A batter is made by mixing flour, grated yam, dashi, eggs and a lot of shredded cabbage and stirring them in a bowl.
The batter is spread roundly like a pancake on a hot iron griddle.
After both sides are fried, a lot of thick Worcestershire sauce are spread on it.
Mayonnaise is often used, so This is the characteristic feature of the Kansai style..
Then, the powder of katsuobushi and green laver are sprinkled on it.
Generally the guest sits at the table with hot iron griddle.
A chef makes it in front of you and serves it to you.
At some restaurants, a batter and ingredients which you ordered are served and you can make it for yourself.
Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki was born in Hiroshima city in the 1950s.
The cooking method differs from the Kansai style.
First, a batter is made by mixing only flour and dashi.
The batter is spread thinly and roundly like crepe on a hot iron griddle.
And, shredded cabbages and moyashi (soybean sprouts) are heaped up high on it.
Sliced pork or tempura of squid, and chopped green onion are put on it, then a little batter is poured on it.
With keeping this shape, it is flipped with two metal spatulas.
This is the difficult motion, because it is far thicker than Kansa-style okonomiyaki.
After this, it is pressed into the shape of a pancake.
In addition, Chinese noodle or udon noodle is fried on the side of the hot iron griddle, then above okonomiyaki is put on the noodle.
This is the most distinctive feature of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
Aside from this, a few eggs are fried sunny-side up.
But the yokes are broken.
At the last, above okonomiyaki with noodle are put on the eggs, and thick Worcestershire sauce, katsuobushi and powder of green laver are coated.
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki need more steps of cooking and skills than Kansai-style.
Therefore, there aren't many opportunities that Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is made at home.
Major Okonomiyaki restaurans
There are the restaurants for Okonomiyaki in main cities in Japan.
And there are some chains of Okonomiyaki.
The following are the main Okonomiyaki restaurant chains.
[K] is Kansai-style, [H] is Hiroshima-style.
Monjayaki
Monjayaki is a dish eaten in a style similar to Okonomiyaki.
However, that food is completely different from okonomiyaki.
The soup is made by dissolving wheat flour in water and seasoning the mixture with dashi stock and Worcestershire sauce.
Coarsely chopped cabbage, dried small shrimp, and Tenkasu (tenpura scraps) are mixed into it.
As for monjayaki, it is a dish that diners cook and eat themselves.
First, you stir-fry the ingredients in the soup on a hot iron griddle.
Then, you shape the cooked ingredients into a donut-like ring, and create a pool in the center.
You pour the remaining soup into the pool and simmer it.
To eat it, you use a metal spatula to break up the donut-shaped ingredients, mix it with the soup, and then scoop it up with the spatula to eat.
The cooked food has a highly fluid consistency and a unique texture.
Monja-street in Tsukishima
Monjayaki is a local dish that originated in Tokyo.
It is a popular food in the eastern part of central Tokyo.
Sumida River flows to the east of Ginza and Tsukiji, and Tsukishima district located on the opposite bank is home to many restaurants specializing in Monjayaki.
Takoyaki
Takoyaki
Takoyaki is also a popular Japanese dumpling.
A piece is about the size of a table tennis ball, and we can commonly buy a pack containing 6 to 10 pieces of takoyaki.
Takoyaki is a takeout food, so you can get it at many big supermarkets or street stalls for takoyaki.
You can eat takoyaki across the country, but the center of takoyaki is Osaka.
There are many takoyaki shops in the city, and the citizens of Osaka make takoyaki at home.
Octopus in Takoyaki
"Tako" means octopus, so the focus ingredient is octopus.
When takoyaki are cooked, a special frying pan is used.
It is made of cast iron, and it has many hemispherical molds.
First, a batter is made by mixing flour, egg, and water or dashi, then it is poured into each mold of the hot pan.
And a boiled and diced octopus, beni-shoga, chopped green onion and a few other foods are put on each batter of the molds.
When being fried in part, all batters are flipped with a tool like ice pick.
Then they are fried to the shape of ball.
Several takoyaki are served on a plate, and Worcestershire sauce, katsuobushi and the powder of green laver are put on them.
Like cream puff, the filling is very creamy, but your tooths touch a little hard octopus to chew.
There are some chains of Takoyaki.
The following are the main Takoyaki shop chains.