My First Okonomiyaki

I remember that I wanted to try okonomiyaki the last time we were in Japan. However, I was also a bit unsure of it, as David doesn't like eggs and I'd never eaten it before.

This time, we were travelling with David's friend Chris who speaks Japanese. He can read menus, talk to the wait staff and generally come in very handy! Plus, he knew how to make and cook the okonomiyaki.

Basically, the 'batter' came layered in a small bowl, and we mixed it at the table. There was an egg (and maybe other things, though it was difficult to see), which served as a binding agent to stick the noodles and other ingredients together.

Once the batter was ready, we poured it onto our personal hibachi grill and formed it into a circular, pancake-like shape. Each okonomiyaki was covered, then cooked for four minutes on both sides.

When it was finished, we added okonomiyaki sauce on top, which is a bit sweet like teriyaki sauce I guess. You could also add seaweed or mayonnaise, though we did not.

My favorite of our two okonomiyaki was the one with cheese and mochi inside (pictured directly above). The other one had cabbage, beef and a yam-like root vegetable. It was okay, but not as yummy as warm and gooey cheese!