Okonomi...what?

I've developed a "study climate" when I'm working on any kind of schoolwork, whether it be writing a paper, reading assigned text, or attending one of my weekly online class meetings. I wish I had done this long ago back when I was working on my undergraduate degree.

What is my study climate? Well, it starts with a little routine. I water all of my plants. I have five pots now, three outside my front door and two inside my apartment. Two of the outside pots hold impatiens, and the third is growing some pansies from seed (they sprouted last week!). I have a lucky bamboo in a small pot on my desk and a small pot of African violets in my bedroom on one of my bookcases. Something so simple as watering is a connection to the gardening that I love to do when I get the chance.

After the plants are watered, I turn on the lamps for softer lighting than the overhead light and my desk lamp so I can easily see what I'm working on. I light a number of candles around my front room and on my desk, and I turn on my TV to a local classical radio station I get through Comcast. All of this helps me to relax and let go of my worries, which in turn allows me to concentrate on studying. It's a wonderful climate to sit and study in. I just wish that I had started this back in my first years in college.

And now for this week's recipe: okonomiyaki. This is a Japanese dish also known as Japanese pizza (although there isn't that many similarities between pizza and this). I learned how to make this years ago, back when my high school friends and I were fascinated with Japanese anime and the Japanese culture. My interest in anime has since faded, but I still highly respect the culture. This recipe has ingredients that may be hard to find; anything not available at your local supermarket (including the special mayonnaise and the Okonomi sauce) should be available at an Asian supermarket. The original recipe comes from the back of the Okonomi sauce bottle.

What you'll need:
1 c. flour
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
8 oz. of meat or shrimp (or a combination if you like)
10 large cabbage leaves
1/4 c. shredded pickled ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
Kewpie mayonnaise
Otafuku Okonomi sauce

What you'll need to do:
1. Thinly slice your meat of choice. If you're using shrimp, cut it into bite-size pieces (I tend to use baby shrimp--these don't need to be cut up).
2. Rinse the cabbage leaves and thinly slice them.
3. In a large bowl, add the flour and water and mix together. Whisk in the eggs to make a batter. Add the cabbage, shredded ginger, and meat/shrimp. Mix everything together until the cabbage and meat are thoroughly coated with the batter.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Pour in enough of the batter mixture to make a 6-inch griddle cake. Cook until nice and golden brown on both sides.
5. Remove from frying pan and put onto a plate. Top with the Kewpie mayonnaise and the Otafuku Okonomi sauce and serve hot.

Finish with a Japanese sweet like mochi (a recipe I'll try to post another time). Scooter seems to like this a lot, so I've made it more than once including last Saturday night. Enjoy!