Okonomiyaki Class!

I got to participate in another Japanese Cultural Exchange program.  This one was on hoe to make Okonomiyaki.  You have probably never heard of okonomiyaki, and that's fine.  It does not sound delicious, but it IS!  Me and 3 of my friends signed up and went to learn to make it.  It is called "Japanese pancake" but that's not really a good description at all.  And it does not sound like a yummy combo of foods.  Do not be fooled.  Once it is cooked together to synergistically release the deliciousness, and covered with okonomiyaki sauce, it is quite yummy.  Trust me on this.

They bussed us downtown to a building that must teach stuff regularly, because we were in a classroom with kitchen units and cooking materials.  There were 6 stove/sink/countertops for us.  We got to watch the instructor make it and she walked us through the steps.  Thence made it.  They had conveniently put all the ingredients together for us, so all we had to do was put it together and cook it.

There are 2 kids of Okonomiyaki.  Osaka style, and Hiroshima style.  Osaka style is easier to make.  You mis everything together and then cook it.  And it has no noodles.  Hiroshima style is yummier, partly because it has noodles.  It is also layered and a royal pain to get all cooked properly.  To layer, you have a thin crepe-like layer, then cabbage, noodles and bacon.  And egg.    Osaka style mixes everything together but the bacon. Then you cover it with the yummy sauce.  The Japanese also like to pour mayonnaise over it.  I like Mayo, but not that much!

We made both kinds.  We totally burned the Hiroshima style, because it is hard to get it cooked evenly!  Both were decently tasty, but not as good as when someone else cooks it for me!  We had a really good time.

After the cooking, we got to eat it for lunch.  Yum!  Well, except for the burned bits.  Then they bussed us over to the shopping center.  We could go with the lady and learn to buy the ingredients ourselves, or we could roam around and meet back at the bus.  We roamed.  I'm pretty sure I'd rather have someone else cook it for me, and I probably won't make it myself.  It was a fun day!

These were our two pans filled with ingredients. 

This is the instructor, showing us step-by-step what to do. 

They use chopsticks rather than wooden spoons to cook! 

The line up on ingredients, in case I want to look for them at the store. 

 Her finished product.

Picture perfect!  I know, it does not look appetizing, but trust me, it IS delicious!

Stef, pouring in the crepe-type batter.  (This is where the "pancake" part comes in.)

Checking for done-ness.

Our 2 finished products!

Our group and our lunch.  I love these ladies!