Hooray for you, Mari Sasano.

Lots of people who go to Japan invariably come home raving about okonomiyaki, a popular comfort food that is more or less a cabbage pancake. I don’t know if it’s a regional thing, but we never really had it at home. I only remember having it once, actually, and never again. Not really a Sasano thing, I guess.

That’s no reason to try making it at home now. I’m an adult!

I modified a recipe I found on Okonomiyaki World. Since I didn’t have okonomiyaki flour, I used  a cup of regular whole wheat flour and 2/3 cup of water as the base. Traditional recipes seem to call for a little grated yamaimo, which I imagine would improve the texture, but I forgot to get some. Next time. Then I added about 4 cups of shredded cabbage and some chopped green onion and two beaten eggs. This is enough to make two pancakes about a foot across. As the first side was frying, I topped it with slices of veggie bacon for health. In hindsight, I should’ve used regular bacon but less of it. Veggie bacon burns too easily.

After the first side was done, I flipped them over and flipped it over again when the bacon cooked burned. Then I plated them, poured a bit of okonomikayi sauce (Bulldog sauce would probably be fine) and Kewpie mayonnaise. A little sprinkle of katuobushi finished it off. I couldn’t find aonori at T&T, but it sure would’ve been nice.

It’s very simple to make, and quite tasty. Tastier than a cabbage pancake might sound! And if you think about it, it’s a fairly healthy meal. Now when your JET alumni friends start reminiscing, you can shut them up by whipping some up right before their eyes!

As far as Japanese food characteristics, umami gets all the glory.  But nothing says delicious like the distinctive slimy texture of a lot of my favourite traditional foods: tororo and natto, specifically. Much has been made of the legendary stickiness of natto– it’s eaten more as a dare by non-Japanese people than actual enjoyment. Whatever. It’s not even an acquired taste; you either like it or you don’t. It’s the durian of Japanese food. But growing up, it was a very rare treat. Luckily, it has become much easier to get in Edmonton, thanks to T&T Supermarket. I get a bunch and keep it in the freezer.

Anyhow, lately we have been trying to eat healthier : Aaron has been diagnosed with high cholesterol AND borderline Type 2 diabetes! Steel-cut oats is on the menu for most breakfasts these days for its cholesterol-fighting powers, as is barley. I keep a big tupperware of cooked oatmeal in the fridge to make this easier. So one morning in a moment of great hunger and laziness, I decided to try and combine two very healthy and already-made foods. I made the natto in the usual way, with the provided sauce and mustard, a splash of soy sauce, and a raw egg. Poured it over a bowlful of reheated oatmeal. Guess what? IT’S DELICIOUS! Mind. Blown.

The sliminess of the natto combines with the sliminess of the oatmeal, plus the nutty taste of the Scottish staple matches really well with the savoury natto. I know that most of you find the idea disgusting, but for those of you who are natto fans, you really should try this for breakfast sometime.