Okonomiyaki

Update: We have been enjoying the luxury of having homemade Okonomiyaki since this recipe was first posted. But having finally bought beni-shoga (from a Japanese grocery) and tenkasu (from our prev Japan trip), I had to give it another go with these 2 ingredients. 

While I can't taste or identify the tenkasu but it's there, doing its job. For me, it was the tiny bits of beni-shoga that completes how I think Okonomiyaki should taste like. Although I'm still missing nagaimo, I'm happy to say this tastes pretty authentic and very similar to the ones I've had in Japan. Hubs even said it now tastes better than some of the ones we had in the Japanese temple fairs. *blushes* I'm so flattered, but the credit doesn't goes to me. 

I've also tried topping it with an onsen tamago this time. But to make room for the egg, I changed how I usually "decorate" the okonomiyaki and cut back on the mayonnaise. Surprisingly, the creaminess from the liquid yolk replaced the missing mayonnaise and I didn't miss it very much. Good news for my heart and waist! Haha! 

For those who don't have tenkasu or beni-shoga, don't worry, this recipe is still very delicious without the optional ingredients. Now that dashi and katsuobushi can be found easily (even in Daiso!), it's time to try making okonomiyaki at home!

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When Okonomiyaki was first available in the basement of Takashimaya shopping centre in Singapore, it was one of my favorite Japanese food. No visits are done without queuing for one, and gobbling up the hot Okonomiyaki by the fountain.

With an open face "dough" and various toppings to choose from (like an Italian pizza), it was dubbed the "Japanese Pizza". I can kinda see the physical resemblance but its taste is far more complex and full of umami-ness than a pizza. Or maybe it was the crunchy cabbage against the soft batter, maybe it was the tangy okonomi sauce or the added tenkasu, or just the pure fascination seeing katsuobushi "dance" in the hot steam (never fail to ask for more katsuobushi too, glutton me), I was hooked onto Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki (makes 2 large 8" round, serves 2)
(recipe modified from here)

Batter
60g Plain flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

10g Spring Onions aka Scallions aka Green Onions

100g homemade Dashi or 100g water with 5-7g Hondashi (more or less to taste)

2 Eggs

Salt to taste 

300g Cabbage, diced

Toppings
3-5 Sliced Pork Belly

Okonomi Sauce

Japanese Mayonnaise 

Katsuobushi 

Aonori (Dried Seaweed)
Beni-Shoga (Red Pickled Ginger)
Spring Onions

Optional (to add into batter)
1"-1.5" piece of Nagaimo, grated

1 tbsp Beni-Shoga, finely chopped

10g Tenkasu aka Agedama (Fried Tempura Bits)

1. Whisk to combine all ingredients for batter. Add cabbage and mix evenly. Leave batter to stand in fridge for 30 mins.

2. In a large frying pan, over medium high heat, briefly cook bacon for some of that lovely fat. Bacon shouldn't be totally cooked. If not using bacon, coat pan with 1 tbsp of oil.


3. Add batter onto pan, try to smooth it out using the back of a spoon, so that the okonomiyaki doesn't turn out too thick. Lay the bacon on the okonomiyaki, tuck in any "stray" vegetables around the sides for a nicer shape. Cover and cook for 3-5 mins (depending on the okonomiyaki size).

4. Check that the bottom is browned, turn over, cover and cook for another 3-5 mins.

5. Turn over one more time, and cook uncovered for 2 mins. Transfer to plate.

6. Top with okonomi sauce, japanese mayonnaise, aonori, spring onions and more katsuobushi (I love this stuff) and/or any other toppings you like. Best eaten while still hot!

Thoughts: This recipe might not be the most authentic, since I have neither beni-shoga nor tenkasu added to the batter, and I used bacon instead of pork belly (same same but different lol). But with limited access to Japanese ingredients and just using whatever I brought over from Singapore and Japan, the flavors are good enough to curb my cravings.

There is just enough "dough" to hold the cabbage together, so the okonomiyaki isn't too filling and you can enjoy the sweet crunchy cabbage. However, I probably overcooked the batter so it turned out chewier than I prefer, like the ones I had from roadside stalls in Japan, flavorsome but a little too chewy. Judging when to flip the okonomiyaki comes with experience; it's also dependent on how thick your dough is or how hot the pan is. Meh.. I just have to cook it a lot more times.

I used to think that only street vendors can produce a delicious okonomiyaki. I realized I was wrong when I had a major disappointing one at "Twilight Hawkers Market", down in the city previously. It was a fairly sized market with dozens of hawkers covering food from all over the world, French crêpe, Indian prata, Malaysian satay, Turkish Shakshuka and many more. Yet I had to go queue 30 mins for a thick, doughy and worse of all, bland okonomiyaki with little cabbage (and it cost A$10! wth). It was a piece of tough beyond chewy pancake with absolutely no taste of dashi or salt, for that matter. *sigh* No worries now that I can make it at home whenever I want, with whatever ingredients and as much as I want!

Shall we have okonomiyaki again tonight?

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Lemon Curd

Traditionally served with scones during tea, Lemon curd has been enjoyed by the English since the beginning of the 20th century. Interestingly, back when I wrote the post on Lemon bars (my old bakes and photos make me cringe), majority, if not all of the hipsters wouldn't know what it is. However, the recent 2 years saw an astronomical boom to its fame with popularization of pastries such as Lemon tart, Lemon Meringue pie, Lemon Curd cake, Lemon macaron, and the list does not stop here. It is rich and creamy, sweet and tangy, full of citrusy goodness, what's not to love?

With a few ingredients and a little time, it's so easy to make lemon curd at home, yummy on its own as a spread with bread. If you bake, then you will absolutely have to learn this. Lemon curd is too versatile to pass on, bookmark now!

Lemon Curd (makes around 350g)
(I think recipe is from here)

    6    Egg yolks for a thick, rich, eggy curd
  Or 3 Eggs, 2 egg yolks for a rich curd, not too eggy
  Or 4 Eggs for a least eggy curd, easily accepted by everyone

150g     White Sugar (adjust accordingly to preferred tartness)
  90g     Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
  50g     Butter, unsalted, softened
    4g     Lemon Zest

1. In a saucepan, whisk to combine the egg yolks (or whichever egg combination you chose) and sugar. Dissolve most of the sugar.

2. Stir in the lemon juice, whisk to combine.

3. Cook mixture over Medium-Low heat, stirring constantly, taking care NOT to let the mixture boil. If the mixture seems too hot, remove from heat and continue to stir before putting it back on.

4.The mixture will starts to thicken after about 5mins. When done, it will coat the back of a spoon and is viscous enough to stay on when you swipe your finger across. Push the curd through a sieve and discard (any) lumps.

5. Stir in the butter until curd is smooth and glossy. Stir in the lemon zest.

6. Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming. The curd will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. Cool to room temperature and chill.

Store in an airtight container or cover with cling wrap, lemon curd will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week .

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Singapore-style Curry Chicken with Potatoes

Coming from a country famed for its multi-cultural, multi-religions demographic has its perks. I grew up in a huge melting pot of different cuisines, always surrounded by delicious food. It's hard to stop eating (just look at my size!😂), especially when your parents and grandparents are super good cooks!

My ah gong (maternal grandfather) cooks heck of a Curry Chicken but he usually only prepares it for special occasions, celebrations and birthdays. It's so awesome; we always have to fight for it, kids and adults alike. You can see his face beaming with satisfaction as everyone "digs" for more potatoes and asking for more gravy.

Although I call this curry "Singapore Style", it should be more of a Singapore-Chinese style since we also have the Indian and Malay curries around. In my opinion, the "Singapore-Chinese" style is milder and isn't as strong in spices compared to its counterparts. Don't get me wrong, I still love the other curries and love having my spices but this is the kind I grew up with, there is an extra cup of sentimental values in it. Plus it's sort of a shortcut since it uses store bought curry powder mix. 

Our version of Curry Chicken has a thicker gravy, so my preferred and highly recommended way of enjoying it is with some good crusty breads like French Baguette. The light crust provides a textural difference while the fluffy interior soaks up all that flavorsome gravy. Super shiok! Otherwise, serving with steamed rice or roti prata is equally popular too. 

Curry Chicken with Potatoes (serves 6-8 or 4 very hungry people)

   1kg     Chicken (may use wings, thighs, whole chicken chopped up)

1.5kg     Potatoes, peeled, large chunks 

 100g     Onions, finely diced

   30g     Shallots, finely diced

 2 stalks Lemongrass, use only the white part, pound slightly

   6-8     Curry Leaves

 150g     Curry Powder mix

     2L    Water

 500g     Coconut Milk

Optional

   20g     Chili Powder (or more if you prefer it spicy)

     5g     Ground Cumin

*more salt and water if needed

1. Marinate chicken pieces with some salt for at least 30 mins prior cooking.

Optional

• You may choose to boil the potatoes first to shorten cooking time

2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and shallots till fragrant before adding curry powder mix (also chili powder and ground cumin if using) together with some water to form a loose paste.

3. Briefly stir fry the paste before adding the chicken pieces. Try to coat the chicken pieces with the loose curry paste.

4. Add water, lemongrass, curry leaves and potatoes to pot. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for at least 30 mins.

5. Check that the potatoes are cooked and chicken are tender. Add coconut milk (and salt if needed), simmer for another 10 mins.

6. Serve with steamed rice or baguette.

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.