| Sukiyaki, teriyaki, tempura, and sushi are only | | | | eating it in restaurants is far more common. |
| some of the many foods eaten in Japan. In this | | | | Some restaurants serve a standard okonomiyaki. |
| article, I would like to suggest three Japanese | | | | That is, the table server brings you a plate with |
| dishes for you to try. I love these dishes, but I | | | | an okonomiyaki on it, but most Japanese prefer |
| had never heard of them before visiting Japan. | | | | to eat their okonomiyaki in restaurants specializing |
| 1. Cold ramen | | | | in it, restaurants where you cook it yourself. The |
| Cold ramen is served in restaurants from May | | | | server will bring you the batter and the |
| through September. Ramen is boiled and then | | | | ingredients. You can mix the batter and add the |
| chilled in cold water. The ramen is then poured | | | | ingredients, cooking at your table on a hot grill in |
| into a bowl without any broth. Sometimes the | | | | the middle of your table. You can cook, play with, |
| ramen is served over ice cubes or with a few ice | | | | and eat your okonomiyaki. |
| cubes in it. A soy-sauce based or sesame seed | | | | 3. Takoyaki |
| sauce is generally used for the cold ramen and a | | | | The word takoyaki uses the same yaki as you |
| dash of hot Japanese mustard is on the side of | | | | can find in okonomiyaki and many other Japanese |
| the bowl to mix in with the ramen. The ramen is | | | | foods. If you look yaki up in a Japanese to English |
| then covered with cold toppings. Cucumbers, | | | | dictionary, you will find it defined as roast (for |
| eggs, and ham or pork are the most common. | | | | pork), broil (for fish), grill (for chicken), bake (for |
| They are served cut in long strips, but you can | | | | bread), and do (for meat, fish, and chicken) as |
| also find other toppings on your cold ramen. | | | | well as a host of other definitions. Like |
| 2. Okonomiyaki | | | | okonomiyaki, takoyaki also uses a batter. Octopus |
| Okonomiyaki is a giant Japanese pancake, but this | | | | and a few minor ingredients are mixed into the |
| unique pancake is not to be confused with the | | | | batter. The batter is then poured into a mold that |
| pancakes we eat for breakfast in the states. In | | | | cooks the batter into small balls while evenly |
| Japanese, okonomi means what you like and yaki | | | | heating them. You could think of takoyaki as |
| means grilled. Okonomiyaki has two parts: the | | | | miniature octopus muffins, although they are a |
| batter and the ingredients added to it. The batter | | | | little heavy to be muffins. Takoyaki, unlike the |
| includes eggs, flour, and shredded cabbage. The | | | | okonomiyaki and cold ramen, is not a meal, but a |
| ingredients added to the batter vary widely and | | | | snack. You will often find it sold at festivals. Poorly |
| can be one or more of the following: pork, | | | | cooked takoyaki is heavy, doughy, and sits in |
| octopus, squid, shrimp, clams, scallops, oysters, | | | | your stomach like lead. Properly cooked, the hot |
| vegetables, natto, kimchi, mochi, and cheese. | | | | dumpling tastes of octopus and a bread-like dough |
| While okonomiyaki is made and eaten at home, | | | | covered with a thick soy sauce like sauce. |