Making Okonomiyaki at Home
Matthew Amster-Burton explores the world of okonomiyaki-making with chef Johnathan Hunt at Boom Noodle in Seattle. Prior to opening Boom, Hunt had never heard of the dish, often described as a Japanese pizza pancake,* but now it's the best-selling appetizer on the menu. Amster-Burton surmised that it must be easy to make if a noob could go for zero to hero with it. In his piece on Gourmet.com, he gives some pointers on doing it yourself.
* I hate using that shorthand for okonomiyaki, but everybody does it, eh? As a pizza nut, I'd like to point out that it's NOTHING LIKE PIZZA. That's like calling a Belgian waffle with strawberries and cream a "pizza" simply because it's a round, flat thing topped with something.
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6 Comments:
I agree, calling it pizza always irked me a bit. But...it's an easy (and distant) descriptor to use. I think it would make more sense to just call it a pancake without the pizza label.
AND OMG I LOVE OKONOMIYAKI!!!
roboppy at 4:45PM on 04/21/08
meee tooooooooo.
emmab at 5:05PM on 04/21/08
Yeah, it's definitely more pancake than pizza. Just to clarify two things, Hunt heard of okonomiyaki between the time he was hired and the time the restaurant opened, and it's their #2 hot ap, after the potstickers.
And you should totally make it. I couldn't believe how good my first attempt was.
mamster at 7:27PM on 04/21/08
Ooh, I have always wanted to try okonimiyaki.
Though as for irking misnomers, I've always found it equally improper when people deem to call any ol' fluffy waffle "belgian". A proper belgian waffle should be a made from a sweet *yeasty* dough, and are chewy, and very rarely round, rather usually irregularly rectangular. (and best served piping hot from van-vendors on a rainy day. It is a street food, after all)
herbert at 9:38PM on 04/21/08
It's really more like a Japanese pancake/omelet hybrid, if you ask me.
For one, no pizza has the filling mixed into the dough.
Moreover, okonomiyaki isn't even made with dough, its made with batter. Making it already more like a pancake than a pizza.
Now I'm hungry...
Pork and kimchi okonomiyaki...mmm...
fuuchan at 2:13AM on 04/22/08
I haven't had okonomiyaki since my first and second time in London and I've been dreaming about it ever since. Does anyone know a good place to find it in NYC? It's heavenly. And in London I highly recommend the restaurant Abeno Too for amazing okonomiyaki.
BestFriendBrit at 10:11AM on 04/22/08