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Okonomiyaki : "Cook what you like"

Chef Dave Mallari from The Sinful Kitchen in Portland shows us how to get creative in the kitchen

PORTLAND, Maine — Chef Dave Mallari from The Sinful Kitchen in Portland wants to make it easy for us in the kitchen, so he is suggesting that we 'cook what we like'! The dish he is making is called Okonomiyaki ... Okonomi actually translates to "as you wish" or "what you like" -- and Yaki means 'to cook'.  SO -- in this case, he's cooking what he likes!

Chef Dave chose a few of his favorite ingredients: bacon, some crispy pork, scallions, Maine lobster, Udon noodles, cabbage and some eggs.  You of course can choose what you prefer, and add amounts that make sense to you. 

Okonomiyaki Maine Style

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (plus an additional 2 TBS)
  • 2 1/4 cups tightly packed shredded green cabbage or cole slaw mix
  • 8 ounces pulled pork, fried crispy
  • 4 slices cooked bacon
  • 4 ounces lobster meat
  • 1 package Udon noodles
  • Soy Glaze
  • Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise with 1 avocado blended in
  • Scallions for garnish

Method of Preparation

  • Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon oil together with 3/4 cup water in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix briefly until most of the lumps of dry flour are gone. Fold in the shredded cabbage.
  • Set a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 TB oil and spoon about ¼ Cup of batter on top and spread into a 1/2-inch-thick layer.
  • Cook for about a minute and top with cabbage, lobster and bacon. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes then top with lightly scrambled egg, udon noodles and more pancake batter.  Carefully flip when browned underneath and let cook another 3-4 minutes until bottom is browned.
  • Slide the okonomiyaki onto a plate and top freely with squiggles of Kewpie mayo and the soy glaze.. Sprinkle with aonori, scallions, and a big handful of katsuobushi (unless you've made a vegetarian version). Serve immediately, then use the remaining ingredients to make and serve the second okonomiyaki.

    Chef’s Note: Remember that this is “cook what you like” so play with different ingredients for the fillings!

SOY GLAZE RECIPE Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Instructions

  • Stir brown sugar, soy sauce, white sugar, water, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, and ground ginger together in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until reduced in volume by half, about 30 minutes. Let glaze cool to thicken, at least 1 hour.
  • In a hurry? You may use cornstarch and water mixture to thicken.

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