Sunday Night Comfort Food & Kids Chair Update

When I think Sunday night tea, I think of Grandma's tin tomato soup and toast cut up into soldiers or one of my mum's omelettes. Lovely, light and quick meals that is enhanced by eating in your pyjamas.

Lately, when I am after some comfort food I enjoy Japanese favourites.  There are 2 stand-outs: oyakodon and okonomiyaki.  Oyakodon is egg and chicken cooked with onion and a soy sauce - based mixture, with rice.  It is a hearty and healthy meal.

Okonomiyaki is often described as Japanese pancake, however in many ways it is closer to an omelette.  It is easy and quick, but you do need a few pantry items on hand.  From the Nanna perspective, it is a great way to use cabbage and eggs from the backyard.

I am no great cook, but I thought I'd share my simple version of okonomiyaki. I've found it to be a fairly forgiving recipe, so I encourage you to try it and adapt as you see fit.

Makes enough for 2 for dinner, with leftovers. (Microwave leftovers, then add mayo and sauce. YUM! You are at work and it is Monday, but you still have a bit of Sunday night to enjoy.)

Pre - preparation

You need to have on hand:

Dashi stock and Okonomi sauce: available from Daiso or Japanese/ Asian supermarkets.  You can omit the dashi, but the sauce is essential!!  If you are unable to source the sauce, make your own.  Try here, or google (there's heaps).
Tempura flakes: Woolworths
Japanese mayonnaise: Woolworths.  I prefer my regular mayo, but some feel it makes it more authentic.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

1.25 cups dashi stock (or plain water) 

4 eggs

1/4 of a medium cabbage (I have used a few, purple was used in the photo), shaded

3 spring onions, chopped finely

8 tbsp tempura flakes

vegetable oil for frying

Toppings: okonomi sauce and mayonnaise 

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix flour and stock (or just water) in bowl. Cover and leave for an hour in the fridge.

2.  Add the eggs, cabbage, spring onions and tempura flakes to the flour batter and combine.

3. Heat a large frypan (or BBQ hotplate) on medium-high and add a tablespoon of oil. Put 1/4 of the mixture on to the cooking surface, shaping into a thick round pancake. Use a spatula to gently raise the edges and flip when no longer gooey. Cook on the second side until no longer gooey.  Add some okonomi sauce to the top of the pancake (in a stripy pattern) and flip again (this step makes it messy but "cooks in" some yummy sauce!). Eat straight away or repeat with the rest of batter and serve all at once.

4. To serve, "stripe" the okonomi sauce and mayonnaise across the pancake, refer to photo below.  Okonomiyaki goes well with a simple green salad. And beer.

source: okonomiyaki world.  

Chair Update

I recently wrote about being glad I bothered, when I repainted some chairs for my daughter.  Here's how the chairs turned out.  They go well with a little table I had previously used as a bedside table.  Play dough moulding, drawing and tea parties await!