Eggs? In this okonomi?

The Chef

Grill, baby, grill

This recipe works best on an electric grill with a stainless steel surface. It allows you to easily control the heat, maintain the shape of the okonomiyaki using metal spatulas (pictured), and make at least two at a time even on a moderately-sized grill. You can also make them in a regular pan on an electric stove, or preferably in two pans to speed up the process.

Speaking of the time it takes to fry the okonomiyaki, I struggled with this recipe the first few times I made it because the batter just would not cook all the way through, remaining wet and soggy for what felt like 30+ minutes per pancake. I was literally about to give up on the recipe, but then I added the step of dehydrating the cabbage, which solved the problem immediately. I haven’t seen this step in other recipes online, and I frankly don’t know how they work without it.

Better batter?

Tenkasu (tempura scraps) is one of those ingredients I’ve never seen at a store around here. It’s supposed to be available pre-packaged in bags, and if you can find it, go for it. However, if you can’t, I frankly don’t think it’s worth the hassle to make it at home. Even though it’s apparently a classic ingredient (in Takoyaki as well), serving to make the pancake fluffier and enrich its taste, I can’t say it makes that much of a difference. If you do want to make your own, thoroughly mix 30g of tempura batter mix with 60ml of cold water. Heat up neutral oil in a pan or saucepan (at least 1cm deep) to 180°C. Dip your chopsticks in the batter and drip it into the oil. Fry for half a minute, fish out the fried dough, and shake off excess oil. Store on some paper towels. Rinse and repeat until all the dough is fried. This should yield around 50g of tenkasu.

Dont’ yuck my yam

Nagaimo (aka Japanese mountain yam or Chinese yam) helps with the consistency and integrity of the pancakes. It’s very slimy and it lightly irritates the skin, so be careful when grating it. This recipe originally contained nagaimo, but since it’s hard to find internationally, I’ve since scrapped it. The updated batter ingredients are battle-tested and guaranteed to yield the right consistently regardless.

As-you-like-yaki

The toppings I listed are classics, and I highly recommend them all. However, you can remove, swap, add anything you like – “okonomi” means “as you like” after all. The same goes for adding stuff to the batter, by the way. Seafood is a popular addition. I added octopus pieces in the past, for example.

Of course, it’s also easy to turn this recipe vegetarian: Just use vegetarian dashi for the batter, and leave out the bacon and katsuobushi.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Just One Cookbook Okonomiyaki recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

I learned the additional step of dehydrating the cabbage at a street food cooking class in Hamburg. Finally, I want to shout out Moegi in Osaka, where I first had Okonomiyaki in its place of origin and truly discovered its variety.

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5 from 1 vote

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Okonomiyaki

Thick savory pancakes with cabbage, bacon, and various flexible toppings!

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Resting time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 2 people

Equipment

• 1 electric grill & metal spatulas optional; regular pan also works

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the batter (1st stage)

• 120 g all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp white sugar
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 125 ml dashi stock e.g. using instant powder
• 2 eggs

For the batter (2nd stage)

• 0.25 head green (aka white) cabbage ~350g per pancake
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 50 g beni shoga optional
• 50 g tenkasu optional
• some neutral oil for frying / grilling

Toppings (recommendations)

• 150 g bacon slices
• some okonomi sauce
• some Kewpie mayonnaise
• some aonori
• some katsuobushi
• some beni shoga

Instructions

Prepare the batter (1st stage)

• Make the dashi broth according to package instructions of your instant powder. (If you make 2 or more pancakes, don't be afraid to simply use a whole sachet.)
• Combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.
• Slowly pour in the dashi while mixing thoroughly.
• Crack in the two eggs and keep mixing until it's a uniform batter.
• Store it in the fridge.

Cut & drain the cabbage

• Wash the cabbage, then slice into pieces of 1-2cm width and length. To achieve this, remove the tough stem, cut into slices and then slice them again lengthwise.
• In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the coarse salt into the cabbage.
• Let the batter and cabbage rest for at least one hour.
• After an hour or more, pour out the extracted water from the bowl of cabbage.
• Place the cabbage in the middle of a large, clean kitchen towel.
• Fold up the ends of the towel around the cabbage and twist over your sink.
• Squeeze out as much water as you can (but be careful not to rip the towel). Afterwards, the cabbage should weigh very roughly 350g per serving.

Prepare the batter (2nd stage)

• Take the batter mix out of the fridge.
• Mix in the cabbage, and optional beni shoga and tenkasu as well as any other batter ingredients you may want to add, such as seafood.
• Stir thoroughly.

Make the okonomiyaki

• Have your toppings handy, as they will be added right at the end of this step.
• If using bacon, slice it into ~10cm long strips.
• Heat up some neutral oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat or ideally on an electric grill at 200°C. A cast iron or stainless steel surface is best so you can use metal spatulas in the following steps.

  Note: If you have two pans or a large enough grill surface, you should make two at a time. If you can't, pre-heat the oven to 75°C to keep the first one(s) warm later.
• Once the oil is hot*, give the batter another good stir and add one serving of it (~340g) to the pan.

  * If using a cast-iron or stainless steel pan instead of a grill, tilt it a little. If the oil is very liquid and forms these shimmering ripples as it moves, it's hot enough. This is very important, or the batter will stick. If the oil starts to smoke, it's getting too hot.
• Shape it into a round disk that is about 15cm in diameter and about 2 cm high. (Yes, they're pretty thick!)
• If using bacon, place some slices on top of the pancake now. Make one layer of parallel slices and another one on top of it at a 90° angle.
• Cook for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
• Flip the pancake(s) over and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
• Throughout this whole process, regulate the heat and add oil as needed to ensure even browning. Keep the pancake in its round shape using your spatula.

Add the toppings

• The following toppings are classic choices, and I highly recommend them. However, you can make your own variation. After all, "okonomi" means "as you like".
• Add a layer of okonomi sauce and spread it over the full surface so it forms an even layer, then zigzag some Kewpie mayo over it.
• Sprinkle a thin layer of aonori on top, then katsuobushi, and some optional extra beni shoga.
• Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Oh, crêpe!

A Patron

A bit of lore

I don’t usually talk about anything other than the recipe in these posts, but I’m making an exception today if you’ll indulge me for just a minute. A few years ago, I brought homemade jian bing to a friend’s wedding buffet here in Germany, and none of the other guests had heard of it before. They enjoyed it a lot, however, and one even asked me for the recipe. I showed him the one I had followed, but kept going on about tweaks based on my own learnings. At the time, I had a private blog just for myself, in order to preserve and improve recipes I enjoyed. This interaction, as well as the overall delight of some guests at a taste that was new to them, would end up being a big motivator for the creation of Hideout Recipes. Beyond delivering new tastes, food is a powerful vessel for cultural exchange, and I liked the idea of contributing to it by (for now) focusing on East Asian dishes while running a blog out of Central Europe.

Trust your buds

There are many variations of this recipe out there, and this is a pretty classic one. I did opt for all-purpose flour because it’s more widely available than the traditional mung bean flour, and the sauces used aren’t necessarily the most widespread combination. It is often a mix of two sauces, and I like the doubanjiang / tian mian jiang combo in particular, but you will find many alternatives out there if you want to go for something else.

When it comes to the fillings, again, this vegetarian variation is a pretty classic one. You can add whatever you like, sausage or ham being popular additions.

Wonton disregard

As for the “crackers” on the inside, I went with deep-fried wonton wrappers because they appear to be a commonly used substitute for the traditional choice of bao cui, a type of cracker I have never seen in any store I’ve been to. If you can get your hands on those, you can skip the most time-consuming step of frying all the wonton wrappers. Luckily, this can be done in advance as they stay crispy even overnight if stored separately in the fridge.

Do not skip cutting into the wonton wrappers, as the cuts prevent large bubbles from forming in the deep-frying process. If you are unsure about where to cut, you can see one of the slits in the fried cracker on top of the stack in the picture. There is another equally sized one on the opposite side, but it’s less visible.

Oh, crêpe!

Jian bing is often dubbed “Chinese crêpe” (even though it’s the much older of the two), so if you have a crêpe maker at home, it’s a perfect match. However, I can attest that it works almost as well in a non-stick pan on a stovetop.

Thanks to my crêpe maker, I was able to document the exact steps below. You can see what ingredient goes on which side, and how to fold it in the end in case the text isn’t clear enough. It can be confusing that, in fact, the toppings (egg, scallions, sesame seeds) go on the outside, then you flip it just once, and add the fillings on the other side.

Even though it’s traditionally a breakfast item, I can easily recommend jian bing as a mid-sized snack at any time of day. If you want to make it a full meal, you should make two per person.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Red House Spice Jian Bing recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience. The Red House Spice recipe doesn’t involve a crêpe maker, but as a lifelong fan of crêpes and galettes (who has lived in or near France for much of my life), I naturally had one at hand. Finally, I want to shout out Tofu Heaven in Markthal Rotterdam, the only Jian Bing takeout I’ve encountered in Europe so far.

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Jian Bing

A savory Chinese breakfast item akin to crêpes. Stuffed with crunchy crackers, fresh salad, and more!

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 jian bing

Equipment

• 1 food thermometer for the oil

Ingredients

For the batter

• 90 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g whole wheat flour
• 380 ml water

For the crackers

• 16 wonton wrappers ready-made, frozen
• 200 ml neutral cooking oil

Toppings & fillings

• 4 eggs medium to large
• 1.5 tsp black sesame seeds
• 2 stalks green onions
• 4 tsp ready-made doubanjiang aka toban djan
• 4 tsp ready-made tian mian jiang aka sweet bean sauce
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves optional

Instructions

Deep-fry the wonton wrappers

• Defrost your wonton wrappers a few hours ahead of time so they can be easily separated when you start cooking.
• Separate 16 wrappers from the stack in pairs of 2, so you have 8 pairs of stuck-together wrappers.
• Cut two long slits about a third of the way from (and parallel to) the sides, about half the length of the wrappers.
• Heat up the neutral oil in a small pan or saucepan. It should be at least 1 cm deep.
• When it reaches 180°C, try to keep it between 175°C and 185°C from here on out.
• Deep-fry each pair of wontons for 1 minute from each side, for 2 minutes total. They should turn out golden brown and crispy (see picture).
• Shake off excess oil and set aside on paper towels.

Make the batter

• Add the two types of flour to a medium bowl or measuring jug.
• Add the water and mix thoroughly.

Prepare fillings & toppings

• Briefly toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.
• Thinly slice the green onions.
• Wash the lettuce leaves, halve them, and discard any hard stems.
• Wash the cilantro and (if you prefer) pluck the leaves, discarding the stems.

Outside & toppings

• Put a medium-sized non-stick pan over medium heat and apply a very thin film of neutral oil (e.g. by wiping it with a paper towel).

  Note: If you have a crêpe maker as seen in the pictures, that's even better!
• Pour one serving of the batter (about 130g / 110 ml) into the pan and quickly distribute evenly across the surface by twisting the pan.
• Once there is no more runny batter on top, crack an egg on it.
• Using a spoon, break the yolk and distribute the egg on the surface.
• Immediately sprinkle with some scallions and sesame seeds. Make sure to do this while the egg is still runny, so the toppings stick to it.
• Flip the pancake onto the other side in the pan and turn off the heat.

  Note: The egg and toppings are facing down now (and will be on the outside of the jian bing), whereas the fillings coming up go on top (and will be on the inside).

Inside & fillings

• Brush 0.75 tsp of doubanjiang and 0.75 tsp of tian mian jiang on the surface.
• Add two halves of a lettuce leaf.
• Sprinkle about 0.5 tbsp of cilantro if using.
• Add two of the deep-fried wonton wrapper pairs in a line.
• Fold up the sides of the jian bing over the crackers, then fold once more in the middle so that one cracker is in each half. See the picture gallery for a visual guide.
• Serve immediately. The fresher, the better!

I don’t even know what part of the taste to taste first.

A Patron

Copy and paste

Listen, I know what you’re thinking. It looks like a lot of steps, but the homemade paste is by far the largest chunk of work. If you make a bunch of it in advance and freeze it in portions, all you need to do for your dinner is fry it in some oil, add the coconut milk, and throw in the chopped meat and veggies. The additional toppings are nice, but optional if you want to keep it simple. When preparing a larger batch of paste, here’s a rule of thumb: use 1-2 tbsp of curry paste in 200-300 ml of coconut milk per serving.

One important note on the paste: Use the big Thai dried chilies, not small ones! If you have only tiny chilies, use around 16, and 10-12 if you have mid-sized ones. Be aware that smaller chilies are often spicier. If you want to cut down on spiciness regardless of chili size, discard the seeds when chopping them. And while we’re on the topic of paste ingredients, I know that shrimp paste isn’t everyone’s thing. It adds a subtle note to the curry that I enjoy, but don’t need. Leave it out if you prefer, and of course if you want to turn the paste vegetarian.

Swap the veggies

I like to add one type of meat or seafood, and one vegetable when making a Thai curry. For the vegetable, I went for bamboo shoots here because they’re classic and low-maintenance, and stay firm and crunchy even when simmering for a long period. If you’re looking for alternatives, besides zucchini or butternut squash, you could also go for 200g of bell peppers, oyster mushrooms, or Thai eggplants (cut into eights). Large Western eggplants might also work, but I’ve never tried.

Swap the protein

I chose pork because I really like how it jives with red curry in particular, but beef and chicken are equally classic choices. When it comes to the specific pork cut, I’ve seen variations from very lean (tenderloin) to very fatty (pork belly). I’m not sure what the most traditional choice is, but my recommendation is, as always, to pick whatever your taste buds dictate. I prefer a lean cut because I dislike chewing on fatty meat that hasn’t simmered for a long enough time to basically melt (like Kakuni).

You can easily turn this dish vegetarian by choosing tofu (and of course leaving out the shrimp paste). If you do, I recommend you get the firm type, dice and pan-fry it, and don’t add it to the curry while simmering. Instead, place it on top at the end, otherwise it will get soggy and might fall apart.

Finally, I also use shrimp quite frequently because I have a good amount of raw frozen shrimp in the freezer at all times. With that and pre-made frozen paste ready to go, you only need to buy very few ingredients to throw an amazing curry together in a short amount of time.

Top it off

You often see fresh herbs on top, but I don’t like buying an entire bunch of Thai basil just to use two leaves for garnish. If you happen to grow your own, it’s the perfect choice, though.

Fried Thai garlic is another amazing topping, but I cannot find this stuff anywhere near me. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on it, fry it in oil (don’t peel it!) and shred it to small sprinkles.

By contrast, frozen kaffir lime leaves are widely available, it seems. If using, make the strips or shreds as small as you humanly can, otherwise they are tough to eat. And finally, I highly recommend the crushed cashews not only for their taste, but also the contrast in texture.

Recipe credit

This recipe is largely based on one by Master Chef Angkrit, whose Thai curries cooking class I attended in 2024. My partner and I were lucky enough to be the only ones in attendance that day. He later sent a sheet with countless curry paste variations, one of which I based this recipe on. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience. In addition, I learned about Thai curries at the House Of Taste and Siamese Cookery House cooking classes. I recommend all three in case you’re ever in Bangkok.

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Thai Red Curry

Thanks to the homemade paste, this curry always turns out incredibly rich and creamy, with variable spiciness.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: 3 people

Equipment

• 1 pestle and mortar or spice grinder
• 1 stand mixer or food processor

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the paste (mandatory)

• 6-10 dried chilies large Thai ones!
• 2-3 stalks lemon grass using only the white part
• 0.25 red onion small
• 5 garlic cloves mid-sized
• 0.5 tbsp galangal peeled
• 0.5 tsp white peppercorns
• 0.25 tsp coriander seeds
• 0.125 tsp cumin seeds

For the paste (optional)

• 0.5 tbsp kaffir lime zest or leaves
• 0.5 tbsp shrimp paste

For the curry

• 800 ml coconut milk
• 400 g pork tenderloin
• 200 g bamboo shoots or squash (zucchini/butternut)
• 1 tbsp palm or white sugar or to taste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste
• 0.5 tsp table salt
• 1.5 tbsp neutral oil

For garnish (optional)

• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1-2 fresh red chilies small
• 20 g cashews

Side (optional)

• 200 g Jasmine rice dry weight

Instructions

Make the paste

• Boil some water and pour it over the dried chilies in a bowl. Soak for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, crush the white pepper, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds using a pestle and mortar. Briefly toast them in a small, dry pan over medium heat and set aside.
• Cut off the tough end of the lemongrass stems, then thinly slice the white part. You don't need the green part for this recipe.
• Peel and thinly slice the red onion.
• Peel the garlic cloves.
• Peel the galangal, then cut into three slices.
• If using, remove the zest from the kaffir limes. If using kaffir lime leaves instead, remove the thick stem from the middle, then slice up the halved leaves.
• Take the chilies out of the water and pat dry. Cut off the top, then roughly chop them up. If you want to cut down on the heat, discard the seeds.
• Put all the prepared ingredients (plus the shrimp paste if using) into a food processor and blend into a paste. Add up to 2 tbsp of liquid coconut milk or water to make it smoother if desired.
• If you want to reserve any paste for a later date, freeze it at this point.

Prep the ingredients & toppings

• If your bamboo shoots aren't already thin slices, cut them down to bite size. If using squash, cut into cubes.
• Cut the pork into thin slices about 1-2 cm wide.
• If desired, mix it with 0.5 tsp of salt and let it sit for a few minutes.
• If using for garnish, remove the stem from the kaffir lime leaves, then slice or shred very thinly.
• Wash the red chilies, remove the stem, and cut them into slices.
• If using, roughly crush the cashews in your mortar. If they are raw, briefly toast the crushed cashews in a dry pan over high heat to brown.
• Now is a good time to wash the rice and pop it into your rice cooker in salted water. The timing will line up unless you decide to let the curry simmer for longer to deepen the flavor.

Make the curry

• Pour 1 tbsp of neutral oil into a high-walled pan or wok over medium high heat.
• After a minute or two, add your curry paste and fry for at least two minutes until fragrant.
• Optional: Reserve 1-2 tbsp of coconut cream for garnish. If thick cream gathered at the top, take 0.5 tbsp of it and 1 tbsp of the liquid milk underneath. Mix well in a small bowl and set aside.
• Add the (remaining) coconut milk to the pan or wok and stir until the paste is fully integrated.
• Turn the heat down to medium or medium low to get a gentle simmer.

  At this stage, I like to keep the curry simmering with the lid on for around 40 minutes to deepen the flavor. Skip if you don't have the time.
• Add the sugar and fish sauce and stir until the sugar is dissolved. If using palm sugar, crush it in the mortar first.
• Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the bamboo shoots and meat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Serve

• Distribute curry to bowls or deep plates.
• If you set aside some coconut cream with water, splash it on for decoration.
• Garnish with chopped chilies, shredded/sliced kaffir lime leaves, and crushed cashews.
• Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Feel-good eel food!

A Patron

Acquire this taste!

“Unadon” is short for “unagi donburi”, a rice bowl topped with freshwater eel. Ever since my first (very hesitant) encounter with this fatty fish at a sushi place many years ago, it’s become one of my favorite tastes in the world. Finally trying it fresh off the grill at Tsukiji market in Tokyo only solidified my love for it. If you’re not familiar due to a lack of regular access to this fish, I implore you to give this recipe a try at least once.

Can’t stop the eeling

So unless you’re in Japan – the Eel Dorado of this dish if you will –, chances are you can’t just go out and get fresh eel or eat at a local unagi place. That’s why frozen eel is the next best (and still very good) thing. Japanese eel is the ideal choice, but other sources will also do. Just make sure the eel is pre-grilled and prepared like the fillets in the picture, deboned and butterflied. It may or may not be pre-marinated. Either is fine as long as it’s a sweet Japanese sauce. Just slather yours on top – it won’t be too much, trust me.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Just One Cookbook Unadon recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

If you want to get Unadon in Japan, it’s quite expensive in most places. Surprisingly, the one at Sukiya was really good for its low price. If you’re based in Germany like me, you can get a very solid bowl at Zero Banchi in Düsseldorf’s Little Tokyo area.

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Unadon

A very simple, yet delicious bowl of rice and eel slathered in a thick, sweet sauce.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 2 people

Equipment

• 1 silicone brush optional

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 pack unagi kabayaki frozen, 250-300g
• 300 g Japanese short-grain rice dry weight
• 1 stalk green onion optional
• some neutral oil

For the sauce

• 50 ml mirin
• 20 ml sake
• 30 g sugar
• 50 ml soy sauce

Instructions

Preparation

• Take the unagi out of the freezer at least an hour ahead of time. Remove from the packaging and defrost at room temperature.
• Wash the rice and pop it in the rice cooker in salted water.
• Set your oven to broil (heat from above) at maximum heat to pre-warm.
• If using green onion, thinly slice it and set aside for garnish at the end.

Make the sauce

• Mix the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring occasionally.
• Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Take the sauce off the heat and set aside. It should be reduced to about a third of its volume by now.

Broil the eel

• Cut the unagi into halves crosswise.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and apply a film of neutral oil, e.g. with a silicone brush.
• Put the unagi on the foil with the skin facing down (no need to flip it later).
• Place the baking sheet in the second-highest position in the oven, close to the heat, and leave it to broil for about 5 minutes.
• Take it back out, and generously brush on about half the sauce from the pot.
• Put it back in the oven and broil for another minute or two in the second-highest position. When taking it out, the sauce should be bubbling.

Assemble

• When the rice is done, distribute it to bowls evenly.
• Brush some of the sauce on the rice.
• Place the unagi halves on the bowls and pour remaining sauce over it.
• Sprinkle with optional green onions and serve!

It’s like a sweet pancake… hamburger!

A Patron

Paste to taste

If the recipe looks a little long, don’t worry: You don’t have to make sweet red bean paste from scratch, of course. You can find it (or other fillings you like) ready-made in many stores. There are also simpler fillings you can make at home, e.g. fruit, jam, cream cheese, Nutella, peanut butter, and any combination of those. My go-to is actually mascarpone blended with sugar and blueberries. I chose red bean paste for the recipe because it appears to be the most classic choice. If you go with that, be sure to buy azuki (aka adzuki) beans, the small dried ones – not kidney beans!

It takes time to be this smooth

If you want perfectly smooth, evenly browned dorayaki, you need to keep the heat pretty low and the oil to a minimum. Perfection takes a while, that’s just how it is. This recipe makes 16 pancakes, which take about 5-6 minutes each. I was able to fit two in the pan at once, so it took around 45 minutes total to fry them all.

Consistency is key

The amounts of water added both to the red bean paste and batter are based on my experience. You may need to add a little more or less to get ideal results. Just keep in mind that the red bean paste will thicken as you add the sugar, and more when it cools down.

By the way, the dorayaki doesn’t need to fully close around the filling. The store-bought ones are usually fully closed, but the homemade variation can show off the filling.

Recipe credit

I first made Dorayaki following the recipe in Meera Sodha’s vegetarian cookbook East, but my recipe is largely based on the Just One Cookbook Dorayaki recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Dorayaki

Sweet Japanese pancakes stuffed with homemade red bean paste!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Simmering time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 8 dorayaki

Equipment

• 1 blender / food processor for homemade red bean paste
• 1 fine-mesh sieve for homemade red bean paste

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the pancakes

• 4 eggs
• 140 g sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 160 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp water
• some neutral oil for frying

For the red bean paste

• 100 g azuki beans aka adzuki beans
• 100 g sugar
• 0.25 tsp coarse salt
• 1 pot water

Instructions

Make the bean paste (optional)

• Briefly rinse the beans, then put them in a small saucepan.
• Add enough water to cover the beans plus a few extra centimeters.
• Put the pot on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
• Boil briefly, then drain the beans using a fine-mesh sieve.
• Put them back into the pot and add the same amount of fresh water again.
• Keep simmering over medium low heat for about 90 minutes. Check in sometimes and top up with water to keep the beans submerged..
• Once the beans are easy to squash between your fingers, they're ready.
• Drain the beans again, but keep 125 ml (0.5 cup) of the cooking liquid.
• Transfer them to a blender or food processor. Blend and add cooking liquid until you have a smooth and somewhat liquid paste. I usually add all the reserved water. The paste will thicken again over the next steps.
• Put the paste back into the pot and turn the heat to medium low.
• Slowly add in the sugar and keep stirring until it is fully dissolved.
• Keep going for a few minutes to let the paste thicken. Once you can draw a line at the bottom of the pot that doesn't close quickly, it's thick enough.
• Stir in the salt.
• Take it off the heat and store the paste in a bowl or food container. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days in a closed container.

Make the dorayaki batter

• Crack the eggs and whisk in a large bowl until foamy.
• Gradually add the sugar and honey, and keep whisking until well-integrated.
• Sift the flour into the bowl and thoroughly whisk again.
• Put the bowl in the fridge and let it rest for at least 15 minutes, up to a few hours.
• Take it back out and add 1 tbsp (15 ml) of water. Stir until well-mixed.

Fry the pancakes

• Put a large frying pan on your stove over medium low heat. (My electric stove goes from 1 to 9, and 4 was just right.)
• Put some neutral cooking oil on a paper towel and wipe it through the pan. You want to create a thin and even layer that's barely visible. If needed, take a clean paper towel to wipe off excess oil. This is important for even browning.
• Wait a few minutes until the pan is fully heated up.
• Slowly pour 30ml (2 tbsp) of batter into a spot in the pan. The batter should extend from there to an even disk 10 cm (4 in) in diameter.
• After 3 minutes, carefully separate the pancake from the pan and flip it over. Fry for another 2-3 minutes from the other side.
• Store all finished pancakes under a damp towel or cheesecloth so they don't dry out.
• Repeat until all pancakes are done. If your pan is big enough, make 2 at a time. The default amount of batter should yield 16 pancakes (8 dorayaki).

Assemble dorayaki

• Distribute the red bean paste to half your pancakes using a spoon. Put more in the middle and less around the edges.

  (The pancakes often have a rounder side, which should be outside, and a flatter side, where the paste should go.)
• Add a second pancake on top of each one. Press down around the edges a little so the dorayaki is slightly curved. It doesn't need to fully close.
• Enjoy!

  If you don't eat them all, wrap the leftover dorayaki in plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge for up to a few days.

Oh god. I’ve been eating bread with butter and a slice of cheese all my life, like some sucker.

A Patron

Remember that time when Vietnam showed a Western colonial power how it’s done? That’s right, I’m talking of course about how they took the baguette and made it the best goddamn sandwich it could ever aspire to be.

Everything sandwich

There are many, many variations of bánh mì out there, and I’ve tried quite a few both at home and eating out. This is one of my absolute favorites, although I should say that it’s not exactly the most classic version. That would probably be pork cuts, pork sausage as a spread underneath, fresh cucumbers, and sprinkles of Maggi Würze (which is seemingly as popular in Vietnam as it is in my German home state!?). The pickles, cilantro, chili, and of course baguette tend to be on most variations out there. The ingredients for this one look like a lot, but you likely have most of them at home already. More on them below.

Slice up the work

This is not the most low-maintenance recipe, but you can split up the work by making the pickled vegetables, sauce, and meatballs up to a day in advance. Just cover everything with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge, of course. Plus, you can make a larger batch if you don’t mind eating it a few days in a row. Bánh mì is great at any time of day, at home, on the go, as a packed lunch, wherever and whenever.

About the ingredients

The baguettes can be fresh from the bakery, but I’ve had great results with the parbaked bake-at-home kind as well. Of course, you can also make them from scratch, but it’s not worth the effort in my opinion, having done it a few times myself. I definitely recommend toasting the baguettes in the oven for a few minutes right before assembling the bánh mì to get a crunchy crust.

When it comes to the size, you can cut up the original French kind (~60cm, two servings), get the half-sized ones (~30cm, one serving each), or even bread rolls (half a serving each) as long as the dough is the same (light flour, water, yeast, salt, that’s it).

Regarding the cilantro: I spent more time than I’d like to admit plucking the leaves from the stem until I realized one day that the whole thing is completely fine to eat. Just wash and roughly chop the cilantro, stem included, and enjoy. If you have the gene that makes cilantro gross (first of all, condolences), you should skip rather than substitute it.

The sauce is a little spicy, so you can skip the Sriracha (and chili) if you’re sensitive. I definitely prefer Kewpie mayo from Japan, but any type of mayonnaise works.

Recipe credit

The very first Bánh Mì recipe I followed was taken from asia street food by Heike and Stefan Leistner. I then tried and enjoyed many variations from Andrea Nguyen’s Banh Mi Handbook, but the Spicy Meatball Banh Mi recipe by The Woks Of Life stuck with me the longest, which is what my own recipe is based on. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

If you’re looking for good Banh Mi in Europe, I’m happy to say it’s pretty ubiquitous here. Some of my favorite places include Cafe 1980 in Cologne, Banh Mi Nong in Berlin, and Baguette Mi in Warsaw.

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Meatball Bánh Mì

With its fresh herbs, fatty meatballs, acidic pickles, spicy sauce, and crunchy bread, this bánh mì variation may just be the ultimate sandwich.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Marinading time1 hour hr

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 baguettes (50-60cm each) or twice the amount, half the size

For the pickled veggies

• 1 medium carrot
• 120 g Daikon radish or any large white radish
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

For the meatballs

• 500 g ground pork
• 10 g fresh cilantro
• 1 scallion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 2 tsp sugar
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 0.25 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

Sauce & toppings

• 20 g fresh cilantro
• 125 ml mayonnaise ideally Kewpie
• 20 ml Sriracha
• 1 spicy red chili

Instructions

Chop, chop

• Wash and roughly chop the cilantro for the meatballs and the topping. You don't need to pluck the leaves, the stems are okay to eat.
• Finely chop the chili. Deseed it first to decrease spiciness if desired.
• Thinly slice the green onion.
• Peel the garlic and either chop finely or squeeze through a garlic press.
• Peel and julienne both the carrot and radish.

Pickle the veggies

• Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a mid-sized bowl and stir well.
• Add the julienned carrot and radish. Marinate for at least one hour.

Make the meatballs

• In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients and knead until well-combined. (Make sure to reserve enough cilantro for the topping later.)
• Form about 20 meatballs on a plate or baking sheet that will fit into your fridge or freezer.
• If making the meatballs in advance, store in the freezer for up to a few hours. To fast-track it, place them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Heat up some neutral oil in a medium-sized pan over medium high heat.
• Fry the meatballs until cooked through and nicely browned, then set aside.

Make the sandwiches

• Combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha and stir until fully integrated.
• Optional but recommended: Preheat the oven to 230° C on grill setting and toast the baguettes for ~5 minutes until crunchy on the outside (but not dried out!).
• Cut the baguettes in half and slice them open, but not all the way through on one side.
• Spread the Sriracha mayonnaise on the bottom side.
• Cut the meatballs in half and distribute on the baguettes.
• Add pickled veggies, then cilantro and chopped chili.

I could eat a ton of that peiyaki.

A Patron

Tonpeiyaki is reminiscent of other Osaka staples such as Takoyaki and especially Okonomiyaki, but lighter due to the absence of batter. Said to be inspired by Russian blini, the egg basically functions as a pancake that the filling is wrapped in. I don’t know why it’s seemingly less famous outside of Japan, as it tastes fantastic and is very easy to make at home.

Epic bacon time

Even though the “bacon is the best” meme is well and truly dead, I think it holds true in this context. Most recipes call for pork belly, which is also great, but I like the extra saltiness of its cured counterpart. I haven’t had the original Tonpeiyaki that is apparently made with pork loin, but I would probably miss the salty, fatty contrast to the cabbage.

Besides the cabbage, bacon, and maybe eggs, you likely already have all ingredients at home if you’re a regular enjoyer of Japanese cuisine. I often make Tonpeiyaki as a quick and easy dish to use up leftover cabbage, having to buy very few extra ingredients.

Wrap battle

Two eggs may seem very little to wrap this amount of filling, but if your pan has about the correct surface area (25cm diameter), it will be exactly right. Neatly wrapping the omelet around the ingredients is the trickiest part of the recipe, but you can easily clean it up if the original move from the pan to the plate didn’t go perfectly.

The default serving amount is more of a snack for two people, or a full meal for one person. Tonpeiyaki works well for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as part of a larger menu.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the RecipeTin Japan Tonpeiyaki recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

Just as importantly, I want to shout out my favorite restaurant in all of Japan: Johnny Takoyaki in Osaka! I’ve had some of the best experiences and food in this place, and it’s where I first discovered Tonpeiyaki since it was part of a set menu.

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Tonpeiyaki

A savory omelet stuffed with cabbage and bacon, and sprinkled with some of the best toppings Japan has to offer. Quick and easy to make, Tonpeiyaki is a great snack for two, or a meal for one.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 2 people

Equipment

• 1 frying pan ~25 cm surface diameter

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the filling

• 200 g white cabbage
• 100 g bacon strips
• 1 tsp dashi powder
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp neutral oil

For the omelet

• 2 eggs medium to large
• 1 tbsp corn starch or potato starch
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tsp neutral oil

Toppings

• some Tonkatsu sauce store-bought
• some Kewpie mayonnaise
• some Aonori or thinly sliced scallions
• some Katsuobushi

Instructions

Prepare the filling

• Slice the cabbage into strips about 5mm wide, and about finger length.
• Slice the bacon into bite-sized pieces.
• If using scallions rather than Aonori, thinly slice and set aside for garnish at the end.
• Mix the dashi, mirin, and soy sauce for the filling in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat up the oil for the filling in a pan over medium high heat.
• Fry the bacon in it for 1-2 minutes, then add the sliced cabbage.
• Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted.
• Mix in the bowl of dashi, mirin, and soy sauce.
• Thoroughly stir and transfer the filling to a bowl for later.
• Wipe down the pan with a paper towel to prepare for the omelet.

Make the omelet

• Crack the two eggs into a small bowl and beat until well-mixed.
• In a separate bowl, mix starch, sake, and salt. Stir until all lumps are dissolved.
• Pour the mixture into the beaten egg and mix briefly.
• Add the oil for the omelet to the frying pan and put on medium low heat.
• Pour the beaten eggs into the pan. Tilt the pan so they are distributed across the whole surface, as if you were making a pancake.
• When the surface of the egg is still a little runny, turn off the heat.
• Add the filling from earlier on top of the egg. Distribute it along a line the middle, like a hill from one side to the other. There should be an even amount of space to its left and right sides. They will be folded to cover the filling over the next steps.
• Lift one side of the omelet up with a spatula and flip it onto the filling to partially cover it.
• Now it's time to move the Tonpeiyaki onto the surface on which it will be served, and finish folding it in the process. With the still round (non-folded) side first, slide the omelet out of the pan and flip the filling over it using a spatula from the other side. It should be a fast, but gentle motion. Both sides should now be tucked under the omelet, with the filling and a gap in the egg at the bottom.

Serve

• Generously drizzle Tonkatsu sauce over it in a zig-zag motion.
• Do the same with your Kewpie mayo.
• Sprinkle with Aonori, then with Katsuobushi. Don't skimp, and enjoy!

That’s some hot meat! And the food is pretty spicy, too.

A Patron, about to get punched

Too hot to handle?

When you hear “notoriously spicy dish from a notoriously spicy part of China”, you might be a little intimidated. However, I have good news: The spiciness can be easily toned down, and the dish will still taste great. There are multiple ways to do this: First, not all Sichuan pepper is equally spicy, and neither are red chilies. However, you might not know where your ingredients land. Second: Discard (some of) the chili seeds when making the chili oil. Third: Decrease the amount of Doubanjiang (e.g. use 1 tsp instead of 1 tbsp). I tried discarding the chili seeds once, and the dish came out moderately spicy – maybe a 6/10. That being said, if you’re looking for 0/10 spiciness, you’ll need to cook something else.

There is a lot of minced meat in my recipe because I like it that way. To turn the recipe traditional, use about half the amount of meat, keeping in mind that the spiciness will be less diluted that way.

While the cooking process itself is very quick, the preparation takes some time. Finely chopping the ginger, garlic, and scallion is somewhat tedious. (If you use a hand blender for the ginger and/or a press for the garlic, I won’t tell anyone, although the results won’t be quite the same.) Plus, I recommend pre-measuring all ingredients so you can quickly toss them into the wok once the heat is on.

Speaking of woks, this recipe works fine in a large pan or flat-bottom wok on a countertop stove. You don’t need the heat of an open flame at any point for it to succeed perfectly.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Woks Of Life Mapo Tofu recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Mapo Tofu

Minced meat and cubed tofu in chili oil – a Chinese staple with complex taste, dominated by the unique aroma of freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 people

Equipment

• 1 pestle & mortar

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 500 g silken tofu
• 400 g ground pork
• 2 fresh red chilies hot
• 6 dried red chilies hot
• 2 stalks scallion
• 3 tbsp ginger
• 3 tbsp garlic
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 120 ml neutral oil
• 2 tbsp Doubanjiang
• 150 ml chicken broth
• 0.25 tsp toasted sesame oil optional
• 0.25 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp corn starch
• 60 ml water
• 4 servings rice on the side

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

• Dice the tofu into 2.5 cm large cubes.
• Finely chop the fresh and dried chilies and set aside together.

  (If you want to turn down the heat, discard the seeds.)
• Finely chop the scallions.
• Peel and finely dice the ginger and garlic.
• Finely grind the Sichuan peppercorns in your mortar.
• Stir the cornstarch into the water to create a slurry.
• Before you start cooking, make sure all ingredients are pre-measured and ready to go. Once the heat is on, things will move very fast.
• If you're going to eat rice on the side, wash and pop it into the rice cooker now.

Make chili oil

• Pour half the oil into a small saucepan and put on low heat.
• Add the chopped dried and fresh chilies. Keep stirring over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Be very careful not to burn them.
• Remove from heat and set aside.

Fry

• Heat the remaining half of the oil in your wok over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the ginger and fry for 60 seconds.
• Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
• Add the ground pork and turn the heat up to high. Break it up with your spatula and fry until you see no more pink meat.
• Stir in the ground Sichuan peppercorns and fry for about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the Doubanjiang until it's well-integrated.
• Stir the chicken broth in next.
• Give the cornstarch slurry another stir and pour it into the wok. Mix well and let it thicken for a minute.
• Stir in the sugar, sesame oil, and the chili oil you made at the start (including the peppers).
• Carefully add and stir in the tofu. You do not want the cubes to fall apart, so be gentle. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Finally, add the scallions and let it simmer for one more minute. If you like, reserve some to sprinkle over for serving.
• Distribute to bowls and serve with rice!

What an unholy abomination of grease and carbs. I love it.

A Patron

A rad fad

When recipes trend online, I sometimes try them out to see what the fuss is about. More often than not, it turns out that virality is based on gimmicks and flashy looks rather than great taste. This recipe is one of those rare exceptions that actually ended up making it into all the way into the Hideout collection, which means I’ve cooked it quite often by now. There were a few variations floating around, and trust me when I say that this is the best one (plus, measurements and instructions will actually be accurate).

I’m using the name from the trend, but these rolls are not very spicy at all. If you’d like them to be hotter, increase the amount of gochujang and/or gochugaru to your liking.

Measure twice, cut once

Speaking of measurements, you have to do a tiny bit of math if you don’t want to have leftover ingredients. Most (round) rice paper you find is around 22cm in diameter, which is suited for this recipe, but I have found that a smaller diameter of around 16cm yields the best results. Rolls don’t turn out too thick this way, improving the cheese-to-noodle ratio and making them easier to eat. Another big plus is that the standard-sized nori (about 18x18cm) have the ideal size when quartered (into 9x9cm squares), leaving the perfect rim on the rice paper and matching just about the size of a cheese slice. This way, you only need 1/4 nori per roll instead of 1/2. This is exactly the setup you see in the process photos below. All this means:

• If using small rice paper, the amounts indicated in the recipe will work exactly.
• If using larger rice paper, you need 1.5 times the cheese (put 1.5 slices on each roll) and double the nori leaves (cut them in half and then trim the length of the halves).

Ultimately, the most important part is that your nori leaf be smaller than the rice paper, leaving a rim around it that will stick together. The cheese meanwhile should just about cover the nori, and the noodles should cover at most half the cheese. You will have to trim the nori (I recommend using kitchen scissors), and maybe cut the cheese as well to make it all fit.

Assembling the rolls

The folding process is easy enough if you don’t overload the sheet with noodles and exert consistent (gentle) pressure throughout.

Only dip the rice paper into the water for a second, and keep your fingers wet to make it easier on yourself. Plus, for the love of everything that is holy, do not use a wooden surface, as the rice paper is incredibly sticky when wet and will immediately merge with it forever. A ceramic plate, for example, works much better.

You can make any amount of these rolls ahead of time, as they stay fresh in the fridge for a few days. Just put them away after the folding step, and pan-fry them right before eating. I recommend putting aluminum foil in-between the individual rolls when stored away as they will otherwise stick together.

Recipe credit

I tried out different versions of this recipe, all stemming from TikTok. I started out with this version, tried this one next, and finally landed on this one. I liked the last one by far the best, but after a few practice rounds, I added a lot of details and made countless improvements, especially to the measurements. The homemade tteokbokki sauce ingredients are taken directly from My Korean Kitchen.

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Spicy Noodle Spring Rolls

Cheesy pan-fried gochujang noodles wrapped in nori and rice paper! One of those rare viral recipes that hold up.

Course: Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 12 sheets small rice paper (16cm diameter) if larger, read post text above!
• 12 slices processed cheese (the soft, easy-melting kind) 18 if using larger rice paper
• 3 sheets nori 6 if using larger rice paper
• 3 blocks curly instant noodles or Mie noodles
• some white sesame
• some neutral cooking oil

Tteokbokki sauce

• 3 tbsp gochujang
• 1.5 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp gochugaru or other chili flakes

Instructions

Prepare fillings

• Put a large pot of salt water on the stove over high heat.
• Meanwhile, peel the garlic and squeeze through a garlic press (or mince finely).
• Mix the ingredients for the tteokbokki sauce together in a bowl and stir well.
• Once the water boils, cook the noodles according to package instructions, ideally a little shorter because they will be subjected to more heat later. (One minute in the water is usually enough.)
• Drain noodles and set aside. Once cooled a little, stir in the tteokbokki sauce.

Prepare the wrapping

• Set aside a deep plate or bowl of water that is wider than your rice paper.
• Prepare a surface for assembling the rolls. Do not use wood, it's too sticky!
• Cut the nori leaves in such a way that they fit the rice paper, leaving a generous rim around the edges. (See visual guide and notes in the post above.)
• If needed, cut the cheese so your slice(s) will cover the nori leaf more or less fully.

Roll!

• Repeat the following steps until you're out of ingredients. (See process photos!)
• Dip the rice paper in water (one second is enough) and place it on the surface.
• Sprinkle some white sesame seeds on the rice paper.
• Place a pre-cut sheet of nori on top.
• Next, roughly cover the nori with a slice of cheese (or 1.5 slices if needed).
• Place some sauce-covered noodles on one side, covering less than half the cheese.
• Start rolling from the side where the noodles are placed. Fold in the sides from left and right on that same side while rolling. Keep applying pressure as you go, finally wrap the opposite end of the rice paper around so it sticks to itself.
• Set the finished rolls aside for frying.

Fry

• If you're making more than two servings, preheat the oven to 80-100° C and place a plate inside to keep the rolls warm while the rest are being fried.
• Put a generous amount of oil into a nonstick pan over medium high heat.
• Fry the rolls in batches. You don't want them touching each other in the pan, as the rice paper rips easily.
• Carefully flip the rolls individually 2-3 times, frying each side for about 2 minutes.
• Repeat until all rolls are done and serve immediately.

This looks more like a place for Low Life Noodles.

A Patron

This classic Chinese dish is usually eaten on birthdays as well as Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year), which is this week! It is considered lucky because the long noodles represent a long life, and each one should be eaten whole to maximize the effect.

Taste test!

Let me make a very important note right out the gate: In my experience, dried Yi Mein can taste quite different depending on the brand. The Thai brand I usually get at my local market (see picture) already contains 8% salt. This is why the recipe calls for no salt in the water, no salt in the sauce, and not that much soy sauce. If your Yi Mein are less pre-salted, feel free to add some more soy sauce and/or salt. Check the packaging – and to be sure, taste a noodle right after cooking and again when they’re coated in the sauce.

Don’t sever the thread

Yi Mein Noodles are supposed to be eaten whole and not broken apart before you eat them because the long strands represent a long life. Unfortunately, they’re impossible to separate when still dry without shattering to pieces, so I always adjust the serving amount to whatever size package I happened to get. Just make a bigger portion and eat it again tomorrow, or freeze some of it. If you’re European like me, let me put it this way: You wouldn’t break your spaghetti in half either, would you?

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Longevity Noodles – Yi Mein (伊面）recipe by The Woks Of Life. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Yi Mein (Long Life Noodles)

It's a greasy, salty, carb-y stir-fry, but hey! New Year's is only once a year.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Shiitake soaking time25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 200 g Yi Mein dry weight
• 3 large shiitake mushrooms dried
• 100 g garlic chives aka Chinese chives
• 2 tbsp neutral oil

For the sauce

• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 0.5 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 0.25 tsp sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
• 0.5 tbsp water

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

• If using dried shiitake, you need to reconstitute them first. Put them into a heat-proof bowl and bring enough water to a boil to fully cover them. Put a lid or plate on top so they stay submerged and the heat can't escape as fast. Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Wash the garlic chives. Chop them into 5 cm long strips and separate the lighter stems from the darker leaves. Set aside.
• Once the shiitake are ready, squish them lightly to get the water out, then cut into thin strips and also set aside.

Prepare sauce & noodles

• Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat for the noodles. Do not add salt!
• Once the water boils, cook the noodles according to package instructions, or rather a little shorter than that as they will continue to cook later in the wok. Drain and set aside.
• Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

  Note: If your Yi Mein come out of the package barely or not at all pre-salted, feel free to increase the amount of soy sauce and/or add some salt now or later while stir-frying. Do some taste tests to be sure.
• Prepare a small pan or pot over medium heat and pour in the mixed sauce. Let it simmer for a bit and keep stirring until well-integrated. Take off the heat.

Stir-fry

• Spread oil around a large wok over high heat and let it heat up for a minute or two.
• Add the sliced shiitake and the lighter parts of the garlic chives. Stir-fry for half a minute.
• Add the noodles and stir-fry for another minute.
• Spread the pre-mixed sauce around the wok evenly and keep stirring until everything is well-coated.
• Add the remaining parts of the garlic chives and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
• Take off the heat. Distribute the noodles to bowls or plates and try not to break them apart in the process. Enjoy!