Tonight another inside tip has sent us off in search of our first okonomiyaki restaurant, one where okonomiyayi is the star of the restaurant, not just one item in in a list on many on a food court menu. We love a good yaki and many a time have whipped one up at home from my step mom Akiko's recipe, and we loved hearing about the restaurants in Japan that served this dish and nothing else with all sorts of great toppings. Okonomiyaki ju has the goods apparently, the owners are from Osaka, the spiritual home of the okonomiyaki, so it's a genuine piece that we're going to try tonight. Located at turn off to Hirafu from Niseko it's kinda all by it's lonesome out here, but this doesn't seem to have slowed business, there is only a few tables spare when we arrive. Leaving our shoes in the rack and having a good laugh at trying to fit into the inside slippers (you think there'd be one pair of size 12 slippers somewhere in Japan) we plonk down at a table. The table has a flat grill in the center to keep the goodies warm and set with essential okonomiyaki tools ....
There's an English version of the menu so no pantomime tonight, we are both immediately drawn to the beef tendon and kim chii combination so we know that's going to feature soon in our future... the other we go for is the thinly sliced pork belly, but now we're face with another choice the standard okinomiyaki base or a negiyaki, a thinner base topped with spring onion, lemon and tempura flakes or nariyaki, a thin base with garlic chive, lemon and tempura flakes. Decisions decisions... in the end we go for the beef tendon on the negiyaki and the pork belly on the okonomiyaki. The order travels not far, in fact only two meters away to three huge flat grills where the magic is performed..
Sitting on one corner slowly bubbling away all night is a pot of the beef tendon, mmm!
We watch as the okonomi is the first to go on the batter then the pork, along side the negi batter is poured topped with the tendon and kim chii then a mountain of spring onion, pickled ginger and the tempura flakes, these are then left to cook as we sit and squirm in hunger with the delicious wafting around and our food with in touching distance.
As soon as the okonomi and negi are half cooked, they're flipped onto their sides.... when they're just about done, an egg is cracked onto the grill, and the okonomi flipped over onto that.. as this is done our table grill is turned on to warm for the arrival of the treats. Another short squirm later and they are flipped. The okonomi is topped with Japanese Worcester sauce, aonori, kewpie and bonito shavings so fine the dance and wave in the heat given off from the okonomi with the still soft egg sitting below... negi is topped with a slice of lemon and then both are brought to the table and placed on the grill. I was concerned that they might over cook on the grill but after the first bite there was no concern that they would be around long enough for that to happen. The negi is the first tried, the tempura flakes have been cooked in to a crispy golden crust covering the negi, the tendons are melt in the mouth and the kim chii is not so strong that it overpowers but just lets you know it's there, good times!
The okonomi is a beast of a completely different kind, with its thick batter, Worcester and mayo, it's so rich and so savoury, filling your mouth umami.
We seem to enter a fugue state, all the conversation ends and only the need to consume another mouthful exists, all to quickly we finished, really we should have known we were full but there was the possibility we were still hungry so we opted to find out by ordering a mix okonomi, this comes with pork, prawn and squid. It's just as delicious as the first two, but it is only a few bites in when we realise in fact we are full....really full! Seems sad to leave something so delicious uneaten so we give it our best shot.
All done and ready to explode we leave already making plans for our next visit, what flavors and styles to try. You know it's good when your can't eat any more yet you're already planning to....
Okonomiyaki Ju
263 Soga, Niseko
Hokkaido, Japan
Tel: 0136-44-2336
Open 4:30pm - 10pm Weekdays
12noon - 10pm Weekends & Public Holidays
Closed Wednesday and every 3rd Tuesday
There's an English version of the menu so no pantomime tonight, we are both immediately drawn to the beef tendon and kim chii combination so we know that's going to feature soon in our future... the other we go for is the thinly sliced pork belly, but now we're face with another choice the standard okinomiyaki base or a negiyaki, a thinner base topped with spring onion, lemon and tempura flakes or nariyaki, a thin base with garlic chive, lemon and tempura flakes. Decisions decisions... in the end we go for the beef tendon on the negiyaki and the pork belly on the okonomiyaki. The order travels not far, in fact only two meters away to three huge flat grills where the magic is performed..
Sitting on one corner slowly bubbling away all night is a pot of the beef tendon, mmm!
We watch as the okonomi is the first to go on the batter then the pork, along side the negi batter is poured topped with the tendon and kim chii then a mountain of spring onion, pickled ginger and the tempura flakes, these are then left to cook as we sit and squirm in hunger with the delicious wafting around and our food with in touching distance.
As soon as the okonomi and negi are half cooked, they're flipped onto their sides.... when they're just about done, an egg is cracked onto the grill, and the okonomi flipped over onto that.. as this is done our table grill is turned on to warm for the arrival of the treats. Another short squirm later and they are flipped. The okonomi is topped with Japanese Worcester sauce, aonori, kewpie and bonito shavings so fine the dance and wave in the heat given off from the okonomi with the still soft egg sitting below... negi is topped with a slice of lemon and then both are brought to the table and placed on the grill. I was concerned that they might over cook on the grill but after the first bite there was no concern that they would be around long enough for that to happen. The negi is the first tried, the tempura flakes have been cooked in to a crispy golden crust covering the negi, the tendons are melt in the mouth and the kim chii is not so strong that it overpowers but just lets you know it's there, good times!
The okonomi is a beast of a completely different kind, with its thick batter, Worcester and mayo, it's so rich and so savoury, filling your mouth umami.
We seem to enter a fugue state, all the conversation ends and only the need to consume another mouthful exists, all to quickly we finished, really we should have known we were full but there was the possibility we were still hungry so we opted to find out by ordering a mix okonomi, this comes with pork, prawn and squid. It's just as delicious as the first two, but it is only a few bites in when we realise in fact we are full....really full! Seems sad to leave something so delicious uneaten so we give it our best shot.
All done and ready to explode we leave already making plans for our next visit, what flavors and styles to try. You know it's good when your can't eat any more yet you're already planning to....
Okonomiyaki Ju
263 Soga, Niseko
Hokkaido, Japan
Tel: 0136-44-2336
Open 4:30pm - 10pm Weekdays
12noon - 10pm Weekends & Public Holidays
Closed Wednesday and every 3rd Tuesday
Akiko's Okonomiyaki Recipe
[[ Okonomiyaki ]] serves 4 - 5
1. standard flour 250g
2. water 500cc
3. 1 egg
4. salt & pepper
5. cabbage 300g or more ; shredded
6. 1 or 2 spring onion ; sliced
7. Japanese seasoning sauce (such as Bulldog Chuno, Otafuku)
8. Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
mix 1 - 4 and add 5 & 6.
Those are the basic ingredients. Add some meat, sausages, ham, shrimps, surimi, squid, whatever you like for flavor 'cause "okonomi" means "as you like".
Heat a little oil in frying pan and pour all of the mixture in (my style) or serving size for one person (okonomiyaki shop style), and reduce heat. When the edge sets and the surface becomes slightly dry, turn. When cooked throughoutly, spread 7. and sprinkle 8.
# tips #
shop style - add Tenkasu (little lumps of batter floating in the oil after
you fry Tempura) in the mixture.
mix Beni-shoga (red pickled ginger)
sprinkle Ao-nori (green Nori flakes) on top with 8.
Japanese mayonnaise (such as QP) goes well with okonomiyaki, chili can be
added.
The Watsons put the mixture of [tomato sauce + Japanese mayonnaise +
Worcester sauce] on top.
Lettuce is OK instead of cabbage, different texture.
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