Japan - Osaka style Okonomiyaki & Fried Mackerel with Spicy Miso Sauce

I asked my Japanese friend Toshie to teach us how to make authentic Osaka Okonomiyaki because Osaka is her home town & I remembered this dish  as being one of the food highlights of my visit to Japan in 2010. Okonomiyaki is a simple yet entertaining & delicious savory pancake which is cooked on a hot teppan at the table. Sometimes called ‘Japanese Pizza’, it is associated with the  Kansai region in Japan & especially the beautiful city of Osaka. 

Toshie decided on the Mackerel with Spicy Miso Sauce & it was a fresh, crisp & easy dish to make that complimented the Okonomiyaki beautifully. The miso sauce had a surprising ‘kick’ to it which we loved, but a word of warning to those who don’t like spicy hot food; go easy on how much fresh chilli you ad to the sauce as Tobanjan (which is a central ingredient to this sauce), gives the sauce quite a bit of heat in itself. 

We set our dinner out on a low table in the Japanese style with the teppan in central place, had Choya Plum Wine, Sake & tea, & of course there was Japanese pop music playing thanks to ‘you tube’.

Best kitchen tip of the night:

Toshie used the edge of a potato masher to tenderise the pork – brilliant!!

 

Fried Mackerel with Spicy Miso Sauce

Ingredients:

·      400 gm Spanish Mackerel

·      100gm plain flour

·      350 ml vegetable oil

·      1tbs miso paste

·      ½ tsp Tobanjan sauce (Kikkoman hot bean sauce) or chilli sauce

·      1 tsp Mirin (sweet rice wine condiment)

·      1 Japanese daikon radish

·      a hand full of sliced baby leek greens

Method:

·      Mix together miso, Tobanjan & mirin

·      Shred the daikon & mound on a serving plate topped with leek greens

·      Cut fish into cubes & dust in flour

·       Heat oil in a pot & deepfry the fish in the oil, turning over until brown then set aside in a frypan

·      Reserve half the miso sauce for dipping & pour the other half over the fish in the frypan

·      Gently heat & toss the fish in the pan until it is coated with the sauce

·      Place fish on the serving dish with daikon & serve with the extra sauce on the side for dipping

Okonomiyaki base Ingredients:

Ingredients:

·      2 fresh baby leeks sliced

·      ¼ cabbage shredded finely

·      200gm tender pork sliced thinly (Toshi says Pork belly is best)

·      small amount vegetable oil 

note: you can use a teppan for this dish (as in the photo) or could use an electric frypan

Okonomiyaki Batter:

 Ingredients:

·      100gm flour

·      150-200ml Dashi (Japanese soup stock)

·      1 egg lightly beaten

Method:

·      Beat together lightly

·      Toshie says very lightly – just whisk liquid until just mixed – 6 or 6 whisks

Three Okonomiyaki sauces:

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

·      Juice ½ a lime / 1 lemon

·      Equal parts soy sauce

·      1 hot chilli finely diced

·      1 tsp pickled ginger, finely diced

Dipping Sauce Method:

·      Mix all ingredients together & place on table

Extra Sauces:

·      Japanese Mayonnaise slightly watered down with milk

·      Okonomiyaki sauce (buy this ready made at Japanese grocery store)

How to make Okonomiyaki:

Method:

1.    Place all ingredients & sauces on the pre-set table

2.    heat Teppan with a small amount of vegetable oil until hot

3.    ladle a small amount of the batter onto the teppan & allow to sizzle

4.    if you are making a leek or cabbage Okonomiyaki top the pancake with a handful of chosen vegetable & allow to cook a little more

5.    ladle some more batter over the top

6.    use a teppan scraper to shift the okonomiyaki off the hot griddle

7.    when you think the pancake is brown on the bottom turn it over with the scraper & allow to cook through

8.    if you are making pork Okonomiaki begin by  grilling pork on teppan turning over to ensure it is brown on all sides whilst making stages 1 to 4 of pancake

9.    top pancake with pork, ladle over extra batter mix & let cook a little

10.         once you turn pork okonomiyaki you may want to cover it with the teppan cover (see picture) of if you don’t have one you could use a small frying pan lid, just to make sure all ingredients are cooked.

11.         Once the okonomiyaki is cooked garnish it with criss-crosses of the mayonnaise & okonomiyaki sauce

12.         It is now ready to be served

13.          cut into pieces & dip in the chilli ginger sauce as you like

I hope you enjoy the Japanese recipes  we have posted on Q-Zine

I have to say that Japan is one of the most amazing places 
I have been to & I love it not only for its food but for its beauty & surprises.

Osaka - our photo of Dotonbori reflection stream