Okonomiyucky

So . . . [I think I am finally give into my desire to start every post I've ever composed with the word 'so'] I have of a lot of catching up to do after my long absence from this blog--an absence that even my tech-not-so-savvy mother called 'shameful.' But this is not that post. I promise I will write all about my second trip to Japan, my family's visit to Paraguay for Christmas,
and the other meals I've cooked soon. But It is just too late tonight for such a marathon of writing and excruciatingly slow picture uploading. Instead, I'll just relate my improvised attempts to introduce Japanese culture to my household in a country that is as far from Japan--geographically, culturally, demographically, gastronomically--as you can possibly get.

Tonight, after watching a chance broadcast of memoirs of a geisha, I attempted (mostly unsuccesfully) to make Okonomiyaki. Granted, this was not a well thought out and planned attempt to carefully recreate the meals I had in Tokyo as much as it was a desperate attempt to scrape together dinner from the ingredients in a refrigerator left bare after the Christmas and new years holidays. But still, most of my meals are just as improvised. I had plenty of okonomiyaki's mainstay: cabbage, and despite its four-month repose in my vegetable bin (seriously) it was still light, fresh, and sweet. Besides that, I had only red bell pepper, and onion. I also lacked bonito flakes and the seaweed powder we sprinkled on top (is it kombu?), but I figured if I had the essentials, I could successfully create the main idea of okonomiyaki and my tastebuds and memory would forgive the absence of these embellishments. I made the sauce from ketchup following some instructions on the internet, using Paraguayan molasses (miel de caña) in stead of sugar and fish sauce in stead of Worcestershire sauce and it actually turned out remarkably similar to what they use in Japan.
The recipe I found online for the actual okonomiyaki was decidedly less accurate. I was suspicious after seeing that it required an entire cup of flour, but was too lazy to find another recipe and figured I could adjust the consistency. Despite its promising appearance, pre-flip, they came out extremely doughy, heavy, and gloopy, not a pleasant combination, especially when topped off with barbecue sauce and mayonnaise, as these Japanese griddlecakes are intended to be eaten. I put a lot less flour in the second one, and it turned out a lot lighter and tastier, but still not quite right. And with the first attempt having settled at the bottom of my stomach like a bottle of elmer's, it was hard to appreciate the improvement.
In addition to a recipe of dubious authenticity, I was working with a pan that lost its non-stick properties long ago and whose wide lip made it impossible to wield the spatula with sufficient leverage to flip the pancakes without turning them into an unsightly cabbage hash. While this was one of my least successful meals in a while, it wasn't so bad as a first attempt, especially given the circumstances. If I give it another try, I think that some ground pork or shrimp would definitely improve the results, and even less flour.


Yesterday's attempt at yakiudon fared much better. The noodles I purchased in one of asuncion's ambiguously asian shops (this one had mostly Chinese products but also a big bulk bag of Japanese rice and a smattering of southeast asian goods) did not turn out to be udon, despite the equally ambiguously Asian saleswoman's affirmation in this regard. The result was still very tasty, with thin slices of beef, cabbage, green onion, and red pepper along with the fried noodles.