Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese street food and it literally means "grill as you like it". Very suitable because depending on the region you're in, the fillings can vary immensely. The base of it though is a cabbage-filled savory pancake made on a hot pan.


This is my first attempt and I suppose it doesn't look much like the ones you would actually get in Japan. But hey, I had to improvise with what they had at the Asian store (and the amount of cash in my wallet).


It is fairly straightforward. In fact, it's pretty hard to mess up. Just cut the greens, mix in the wet, put it on a pan, and you're good to go.


If you're like me and flipping okonomiyaki is not in your genes, don't worry, you can just push in the broken edges and try again.


Shredded cheese is a totally acceptable topping!


Katsuobushi and Aonori is found on many Okonomiyakis but since neither were available, I cut up Nori and just left the Katsuobushi out!



If anyone is curious, the recipe I used can be found HERE. Give it a go if you're ever in the mood for an unconventional savory pancake that is different from the Western traditions!

My Attempt at Okonomiyaki

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• by Aya S
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Buongiorno! I'm in Rome right now for the week!
Today is the Feast of Assumption (a national holiday here in Italy) so the whole of Italy is practically on vacation somewhere else. Regardless, a lot of the sites are still open and my friends and I are ready to explore.

Here are just a few shots from yesterday. We went to Vatican City.

Roma 2013

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• by Aya S
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A lot of you guys know that I am a true city girl. I realized this at a young age when I was playing with a soccer ball in Japan. I was waiting for my relatives to finish talking when I kicked the ball on what I thought was a patch of grass. I went to get it. Naturally it ended up being a rice field, and because I had never seen one in my life nor did I think there would be one next to my aunt's house, I fell right in and came out covered in mud.

Let's face it: I know tall buildings, public transportation, and I am very comfortable in crowds and the sound of the car alarm going off in the morning (super not fun, but it happens).

Well I decided to dip my feet into the pool of the unknown. This my friends, is what I call, "The Country Bike Ride to the Lake a Few Villages Over". Some of you may or may not know, I learned how to ride a bike for the first time last year, and I relearned again this Spring. So going 40 km for me is quite a big deal!

Bike Trip to the Lake

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If you've ever seen Avenue Q the Musical, then you know that the internet is for porn.

So to follow on that, here's a few saucy pictures that should get your stomach churning for more!





The first four pictures are all homemade food. Ever since Oliver and I had another Sushi Party, we've been on a Sushi kick and packing Sushi for lunch more frequently (Maki being the correct term, since Sushi refers to Nigiri).
The same goes for the Cinnamon Rolls. We kept baking a new batch to replace the ones that were eaten, that after 5 days straight of Cinnamon Rolls, we couldn't take it anymore. The ones I made were Vegan, which we decided were better than the regular ones. The flatmates gobbled them up!

The burgers were created a few hours ago for dinner. There was leftover Gluten Frei Mehl (gluten free flour) so we used it to make burger buns and donuts. Fail on both parts. I've dabbled in gluten-free baking before, and the most successful ones always mix different kinds of gluten free flours. I also am partial to Sorghum Flour. I looked at the ingredients and all this was was Corn Flour and Corn Starch. It just made the bread really dense and heavy. We called them Sad Donuts and Buns. Therefore in this case, Gluten-Frei = Glücklich-Frei (Happy Free). Boo!


I've been really busy lately trying to assemble myself here, so excuse the lack of updates. I haven't forgotten the blog just yet! I'll try to get it rolling once again.

Have a fun Saturday y'all!

Food Porn

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Getting back into the rhythm of things is hard after a week of indulging. I'm pretty sure at one point I smelled like potatoes and gravy, and maybe a bit of Stollen as well. In any case, I'm back in Berlin for now (more like, for the next few hours until going to Poland tonight!) and I need to get back into my groove.

That being said, see this little chap just winking at me?

That there is a  Döner Kebab. He may seem really innocent but underneath all that toasted breadyness is a pile of tempting meat and vegetables. Okay, it doesn't sound that bad, but when it's the only thing available at 3 am, in between parties, it's pretty dangerous. You just want him and he calls to you. He listens to you. He becomes your friend. And then Wabam! He's always there!

. . . .

Well, at least you can count on him, eh?

Der Döner Kebab

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Not too often do bookstores make you hungry, unless you are either in the cookbook section or you're waiting for a friend that promised burgers on the way home.

Well, combine the two, and you get one hungry person whose friend found them in the cookbook section staring at the Book of Burger (a la Rachel Ray). It's a bit strange when you have to explain Rachel Ray to someone, because in the States she's pretty much everywhere. But a few pages in, my friend and I decided, to hell with buying premade food, let's make them little buggers (ahem, I mean, burgers).

The recipe is Rachel's Italian BBQ Chicken Burgers.

We didn't buy the same amount of chickadee as the recipe calls for, so I kind of improvised the measurements (I do that a lot here, because the metric system change means no one uses measuring cups!) It still turned out quite tasty! The only thing I would change is the amount of fennel I used (it was a tad too licoricey). And I think for me, the meat in the sauce is too much because the burger is already made of meat. Otherwise, I give it a thumbs up! It was also a lovely way to spend a weekday evening.

Hey Thar' Buns, What's Toasting your Sesame Seeds?

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You know you've had one of those nights. A night you remember too well even though you shouldn't, because you downed some Vodka and a drink with 4 different kinds of Rum in it, and you washed that down with juice and pudding and wurst. It doesn't happen often (God forbid), but when it does, you just gotta roll with the punches. Or pommes (fries), shall I say.

Now, I know quite a few people against Currywurst. It's not healthy sure, and once you start eating them, you realize it's hard to find good ones. Well, I compare it to a Starbucks coffee. Starbucks kinda tastes like burnt water, but it's fun holding the little cup around and walking the streets of NY like you mean business. Eating Currywurst is fun in Berlin, because you're in Berlin.

Well, if I've convinced you enough (or you just have a huge hangover and need to nurse it), you can get this puppy at Curry 36 (Mehringdamm 36). Chow down baby!

 

Wurst is Not the Worst!

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