Teppanyaki

Teppanyaki is a lot of fun!  Yaki means grilled, and teppan means iron plate – so it’s foods grilled on an iron plate.  A good example of Japanese Steakhouse teppanyaki are the Gasho’s or Benihana Japanese Steakhouse restaurants – where guests sit around the teppan for a grilling show and supper.

Teppanyaki dishes can be cooked by the chef in the kitchen or at your table, but you don’t need a chef – it’s a great style to bring friends and family together for a fun meal cooked at the tabletop.  If you’ve got a pancake griddle, you’re good to go!  Here are a few variations of teppanyanki - Teppanyaki Steakhouse, Yakisoba, and Okomoniyaki.

Above: You can prepare Teppanyaki on a pancake griddle.

Japanese Teppanyaki Steakhouse:

Typical ingredients are shrimp, scallops, lobster, chicken or beefsteak cooked along with bean sprouts, assorted veggies and fried rice.  It’s easy to do at home on an electric skillet or pancake griddle.  Just place it in the center of the table and get your meats and veggies ready.  You can use ponzu sauce or sesame sauce for dipping, but in Japan soy sauce is the preferred dipping sauce.

Above: Yakisoba can be a side dish or main entree - kids love this dish, and always enjoy tabletop cooking.

Yakisoba
Soba is a type of noodle – and noodles are all the rage here!  These are not traditional buckwheat Soba noodles, they’re more like a Chinese ramen noodle and they’re stir fried on the teppan (pancake griddle) with minced pork, and veggies and topped with sauce, mayonnaise, shaved bonito and minced seaweed.

Right: Served hot off the teppan, yakisoba is a favorite light meal or side dish that can be made with or without meat.

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To make Yakisoba, simply re-hydrate or lightly cook dry ramen noodles and drain (or use fresh if you can find them).  Get a piece of pork rib eye or boneless chicken and mince or cut into small cubes and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Chop some cabbage, sliver onions, and cut carrot matchsticks (or keep it simple with Tony’s Cole Slaw blend in the produce department) and you are ready to cook!  Sizzle the meat to rare, remove and reserve.  Refresh the oil as needed and add the veggies – add a little water, cover and cook until tender – supper is ready!  Here is a recipe for Yakisoba.

Left: Yakisoba with an assortment of seafood and egg - oishi desu!

Okomoniyaki
Okomoni means “what you like” or “what you want” and its teppan tabletop cooking at is most fun from the Kansai region or western Japan.  Okomoniyaki is a very typical dish for families at home because it’s easily adjusted for the kids, and they love to get involved in the cooking.  It’s also very popular for dining out because it’s so social and flexible.  Everybody loves Okomoniyaki!

Right: Like a Japanese pancake or pizza, okomoniyaki is a fun dinner cooked on the tabletop, and it can include anything you like from shellfish to ham, cheese or even hot dogs for the kids.

Okomoniyaki is basically a savory Japanese pancake that is cooked at the table on the teppan (or your pancake griddle) and served right off the pan.  This ‘Japanacake’ or ‘Japizza’ is a medley of veggies (mostly shredded cabbage) along with meats or seafood tossed and a simple egg and flour batter.  ‘Whatever you like’ is blended with the batter and fried up like a big fat pancake on the teppan, or your pancake griddle.  Modern versions include things like cheese and hot dogs, as well as mayonnaise smeared on top – hey, whatever you like!

Left and below: Okomoniyaki with shrimp, squid and pork loin on the top - a few turns and about 10 minutes later...itadakimasu (thanks, lets eat)

Heat the griddle, add little oil and then a cup or two of the meat and veggie batter; a few minutes on this side, a few on that side and after several turns the pancake is done.  Smother it with Okomoniyaki sauce, and sprinkle with shaved bonito and seaweed (ok, so you can skip the bonito and seaweed), cut it up and transfer to plates to eat.

Here is a Okomoniyaki Recipe for you to try at home.

Left: Once cooked, the savory pancake is topped with a thick and slightly sweet sauce, as well as dried bonito flakes (which dance on the dish from the heat) and seaweed flakes, as well as mayonnaise (the Japanese love a sweet mayonnaise called Kewpie) - you can adapt the toppings to your taste.

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