Anna Cooks Okonomiaki

Tonight Anna cooked supper for us, a long-awaited meal that she enjoys in Japan. It's called Okonomiaki, a cabbage/cheese dish with a special Asian sauce. First you chop cabbage (lots of cabbage!) and mix in egg, flour, water, and chopped onion.

 We used our own eggs :)

Anna, chopping away!

 Adam had sliced some beef roast very thin for her to brown in a skillet.

 Please note, single men. Anna has some cooking skills. Doesn't that look yummy?

 In a second skillet she browned large patties of the cabbage mixture.

 After flipping them, she placed the browned meat on top and then covered the patty with mozzerella cheese, the one item that's significantly more expensive in Japan than it is here. She covered the pans briefly to allow the cheese to melt.

 Doesn't that look great? Believe me, it WAS great. The texture -- a combination of crispy edges and soft cabbagy inside. She brought it to the table and gingerly cut out large sections for each plate.

 Okay, here's the odd part. First you drizzle a plentiful amount of mayonnaise on top.

 

Then you drizzle on the Okonomiaki sauce. Anna bought this last week at the Asian Market in New Bern. It was their last bottle.

This sauce is probably closest to American barbecue sauce, at least in its aroma, but the flavor combinations in this dish are so wonderful. If you feel brave enough to try it at home, give it a try. But be sure you buy THIS sauce at a real Asian Market. Don't settle for something else. Yummy!! Thank you, Anna!