okonomiventures

Ever since hearing about one of my friend's foodie adventures on his study-abroad program in Japan this summer, I've had the incredible urge to consume vast quantities of okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza/pancake) and takoyaki (Japanese octopus dumplings). For your own happiness and well-being, I also strongly recommend Google imaging the above foods.

Now, ironically enough, I have never actually had okonomiyaki, but I still craved it nonetheless. After perusing through several online how-tos and recipes, I decided that I could definitely muster up a passable, simplified version of the thing and got to it. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the takoyaki, which requires a special type of pan...once I get my hands on one of these babies, I will truly be unstoppable.

And now, without further ado:

Not bad, right?

Carol's Version of OKONOMIYAKI
...based on several online recipes and the fact that she has no idea what it's supposed to taste like

The batter (these measurements make a ton of batter; feel free to use a lot less):

• 2.5-3 cups all purpose flour
• .75 cups kombu broth
• .75 cups water
• 3-4 eggs
• .75-1 head of cabbage

I used this very versatile kombu broth from the Asian market. It can basically be used as a marinade, soy sauce alternative, dressing, all around flavor booster.

The Sauce:

• a generous splash of Soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos 'cause it's all I had)
• a heaping squirt of Ketchup
• a moderate splash of the same Kombu as above
• a few spoonfuls brown sugar

Sorry for the awful measurement guidelines - I usually make all of my sauces to taste so I really can't tell you how much of each I put in...I just keep adding stuff until it tastes the right amount of salty/sweet/tangy.

Besides the batter and the sauce, I also threw in some red bell peppers, onions, and shrimp. Okonomiyaki can contain pretty much anything - chicken, octopus, noodles, broccoli, etc etc. Go crazy with those toppings!

And with that, it's time to hit the pan!

Into the pan goes some oil, onions, red pepper, shrimpies. (With shrimp, we discovered that putting them in at the same time as the batter prevented them from overcooking. Other meats like chicken or beef would probably benefit from this pre-batter cooking method, though.)

Gather your extras into the middle of the pan and pour on enough batter to cover it, but don't make it too thick!

After one side has gotten sufficiently solid and browned, give it a good ol' flip! Then, let it sit for a while longer until cooked all the way through. Add more oil if you want a crispier pancake and don't worry if it falls apart a little during the flipping - you can always smoosh it back together :)

Plate it, drizzle your sauce over it, squirt on some optional mayo, serve, and EAT!!!! You can also layer on sauteed veggies (shown at the beginning of the post), seaweed, dried fish flakes, etc.

Omnomnomnom.

It turned out great for a first time, spur of the moment cooking adventure. The casa compadres liked it a lot too. I'm not sure how much it tastes like the real thing (gonna take a trip up to NYC to try to hunt down some more authentic stuff) but it sure was tasty nonetheless. It was similar to a Korean seafood pancake, but a little gooier, with a thicker sauce. Traditional recipes call for yam starch, which would make it a little more glutinous and chewy, akin to a Taiwanese oyster omelette (DROOL). Maybe I'll try it again with that missing ingredient and see how it goes.

Well that's all for now! Wishing everybody a good week with good food!

the return?

Dare I say it??? THE HUMMUSPHERE IS BACK! For now, at least.

It's been way too long, my fellow food enthusiasts, but due to popular demand (a.k.a. my own boredom and guilt at having let this thing fall through the cracks), I will once again be detailing my foodie healthie life-ie adventures for your viewing pleasure.

This summer, I am staying at le university to do research and am currently renting, along with a couple wonderful compadres (who will no doubt be making many a guest appearance on these pages) a cute little house just on the border of campus. The best thing about having our own abode is the kitchen!!!!!! and I've made myself very much at home indeed.

Backtrack a little though- for the past two weeks I've actually been at home and have been flexing my budding culinary muscles (ha!). Alas, any skill or experience I had in this department had sadly atrophied over the last semester, as I was studying abroad in Panama. That is in itself a whole 'nother story...but moving on.

I didn't take a lot of pictures at home, but the things I did manage to grab a few pics of a few concoctions:

Cran-goji-nut oatmeal cookies!




These super chunky babies contained:

• 1.25 cups whole wheat flour
• 2.75 cups old fashioned oats
• 0.5 stick of butter
• 0.5 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup goji berries
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine wet and then dry ingredients, bake at 375 for 10 minutes and voila!

(Gasp, butter??? I got over my fear of butter and sugar - a little butta goes a loooong way especially in making crisp, delicious cookies.)

Caribbean Island Lime Shrimp


Modified from this recipe.

I didn't have orange juice, any of the alcohol, or turmeric but it still turned out awesome! The fam enjoyed it as well :).

Other things I experimented with but unfortunately didn't get to photograph include:

• Kale chips
• Roasted veggies (cauliflower + cabbage)
• Pad thai!!! <=This is the most amazingly comprehensive tutorial for making pad thai EVER. If you are a pad thai fan, you MUST check this out!
• Various simple household Chinese dishes

And since moving into our little house on campus, the food adventures have continued! Behold, the spread for our first housemate dinner together. Dawwwww.

Whole wheat spaghetti + fusilli with Muir Glen Italian Herb pasta sauce, sauteed spinach, sauteed marinated Crimini mushrooms, and Chardonnay. Classy ;).

I picked up the pasta sauce on sale at the local organic grocery store and it was awesome!! Full of flavor and tomato chunks, definitely recommend it! The spinach and mushrooms were bought at the local farmer's market last week (be still my heart!) and were amazingly fresh. I love good wholesome food!

Lunches and breakfasts have been more casual - the standard oatmeal/toast concoctions and salads/hummus for lunch. For example:

EPIC salad with arugula, herb salad mix, a carrot, red bell pepper, drizzled with Annie's Goddess Dressing.

I've been meaning to try this salad dressing that everyone raves about and was happy to see it on sale. It's good, but a little too salty for my tastes? I think I prefer my salad dressings slightly sweeter but the strong temari flavor wasn't bad at all.

Tonight, I've got something SPECTAAACULAR planned (well, at least I hope it turns out that way) and I'm really excited to see how it turns out! (HINT: it involves cabbage and eggs and is vaguely pancake-like. haha, sounds great, right???) I'll be sure to take lots of photos and hopefully return to the Hummusphere with news of gastronomic glory. Until then, have a nice day and happy eating!