Somen Okonomiyaki Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs, dashi and salt in a large bowl. Add the flour, potato starch and baking powder and whisk until just incorporated -- avoid overmixing; some lumps are okay. Add the cabbage and scallions and gently fold into the batter.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Spoon in about 1/2 cup of the batter. Use a spatula to very lightly pat down the surface and to form a round about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch high. Repeat until the skillet is full, but not overcrowded.
• Top each round with 2 pieces of pork belly, overlapping them slightly. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the rounds over, keeping the pork belly in place as much as possible and reducing the heat slightly if the pork belly browns too quickly, and cook until the pork belly has rendered its fat and the okonomiyaki are cooked through and golden brown, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to plates and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, batter and pork belly, leaving behind any liquid that's settled at the bottom of the batter. (If your pork is very fatty, you might not need to add more oil to the skillet.)
• Serve hot, pork-side-up. Drizzle with okonomi sauce and mayonnaise in zigzag lines, then sprinkle with beni shoga, aonori and/or katsuobushi (if using).
• Combine the kombu and 3 cups cold water in a medium saucepan and let sit for about 30 minutes. (You can skip this step if you're short on time, but it does lend a little extra flavor.) Heat over medium heat until the water comes to a near boil, but doesn't actually boil, about 5 minutes. Discard the kombu.
• Add the katsuobushi evenly over the water, bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately remove from the heat. Let steep for about 10 minutes without stirring.
• Pour the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or quart-size measuring cup. Do not press down on the katsuobushi, which can make the dashi cloudy and/or bitter.
• Dashi is best used the day it is made but can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine hondashi with 1 cup water and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in eggs until well combined. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk until smooth. Fold in cabbage, scallions and ginger until well incorporated.
• In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add half the batter, spreading cabbage mixture into an even 6-inch round about 1-inch thick (resist the urge to push down on the mixture). Arrange half the pork belly over the cabbage, slightly overlapping. Cook over medium-low until pancake is set and golden brown underneath, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and carefully flip pancake by inverting onto a plate then slipping back into the skillet.
• Cook until golden brown on second side, pancake is cooked through in center and pork is lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer pancake, pork side up, onto a large plate. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining oil, batter and pork belly.
• Drizzle pancakes with okonomi sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise, then top with a handful of shaved bonito and nori. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer.
• Heat vegetable oil in a pot over medium. Add scallion whites and sliced mushrooms, season with salt and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add 3 cups water to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Add bok choy and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sesame oil and season to taste with salt. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, cook somen according to package instructions in the simmering water in the saucepan. Using a slotted spoon or spider, divide the noodles among bowls, leaving the simmering water in the saucepan. Crack each egg into its own small bowl, discarding the shells. Swirl the simmering water in the saucepan, creating a vortex by stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs, one right after another, and cook over medium-low until the whites are set, about 3 minutes. Transfer eggs to noodle bowls using a slotted spoon.
• Ladle the reserved shiitake broth into the bowls. Top with sliced scallion greens, drizzle with sesame oil and serve.

Steps:

• Break somen noodles in half prior to cooking.
• Cook according to directions and strain, but DO NOT rinse in water.
• Seperate the somen into 2 stacks
• Heat oil in 10 inch frying pan on medium heat.
• Place 1 stack of somen in pan, arrange in to a circle and flatten with spatula.
• Top with bacon, shrimp, basil, scallion, cabbage, and second stack of somen.
• Pour on egg mixture.
• Flatten and shape with spatula.
• Cook until browned on one side, then flip and brown on other side, reshaping as needed.
• Plate and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.
• Top with mayonnaise, nori, and ginger.
• ***A simple salad of arugula, shredded carrot and cabbage, sliced cucumber, and diced yellow pepper drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with julienned nori makes a great accompaniment.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, baking powder, egg and stock. Mix until smooth, whisking out any lumps without overmixing. Add the potato, season with a little salt and white pepper, cover and rest for at least 2 hrs.
• While the mix is resting, combine the ingredients for the sauce, stirring until it's smooth. Set aside.
• Remove the batter from the fridge and add the cabbage, spring onion, ginger, soy, mirin and chosen seafood. Stir to thoroughly coat the mix in the batter.
• Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Pour the mixture into the pan, keeping it as circular as possible. Fry for 3-5 mins. Use a palette knife to help you flip it over and cook for a further 3-5 mins, using a lid at intervals to trap the heat so it cooks through. Test to see if it's ready by sticking a chopstick into the middle. If it comes out dry, it's ready.
• Flip onto a board and serve with the sauce and garnishes to taste. Eat straight away.