[torakris]

We have very briefly discussed monjyayaki in a couple other threads but it is time it has a thread of it's own!

A bit of History:

The cradle of Monjayaki is said to be Tsukishima district of downtown Tokyo.

Several decades ago, sweetshops in Tsukishima used to have griddles in there shops. They served thin pancakes made out of water, wheat flour, and many kind of fillings.

The snack was popular to kids. It was called "moji-yaki", literally meaning "letter-cake", since kids tried to make the pancake in the shape of their favorate letters. The name "Moji-yaki" turned into "monjayaki" in long history.

from here where there is also a step by step description on how to make and eat monjyayaki (in English)



Food Zealot and I recently went to Sakuratei in Harajuku wher we enjoyed a couple kinds of monjyayaki.

By far from the best picture, but this was my favorite:
mentaiko (spicy cod roe) with mochi (rice cakes) and cheese



This was also good though I could have taken it a little spicier:
spicy cooked beef, kimchi and kochujang




First place all of the non-liquid parts of the bowl on the hot plate and sort of stirfry it with the big paddles.



Then you make a well and pour the liquid part in the middle, unlike okonomiyaki this uses no egg so it is pretty much water and flour. Leave it alone and let it cook until the liquid part starts to thicken and become transparent. Then mix it all together and spread it out to let it cook a little more. It is eaten while it is still semi-runny...

Almost ready


monjyayaki is not eaten with chopsticks rather with little tiny spatulas, you can see it in Food Zealot's hand




As monjyayaki is one of those you love it or hate it foods, many monjya places have a menu that also includes okonomiyaki, yakisoba and other foods that can be cooked on a hot plate.
We also enjoyed a negiyaki (like okonomiyaki but made with two kinds of green onion rather than cabbage)



and dish they called chicken kori kori yaki that despite it's simple appearance was quite good



and on the grill

[tejon]

I thought that hand looked familiar!

What kind of fillings/ingredients are typical in monjyaki? Is cheese common?

[torakris]

This is the monjyayaki menu from the place we went to. It is quite similar to most other places I have also been to.

Cheese is quite a common addition though I must admit I have avoided it because I thought it was odd but I really loved it. You barely tasted the cheese but it gave the monjya a nice crust.

Some of the most popular types are kimchi and pork and mentaiko with mochi.

[FoodZealot]

Thanks, Kris! It was my first experience with monjyayaki, and I enjoyed it - and I finally know what and how to use those spatula whatsits. It seems more like a modern dish because of the elements from other cultures that are available - curry, cheese, etc. Kris is the monjyamaster!! Cheese and cod roe might sound odd, but fried cheese is a universal, and as Kris said, it's more for texture anyway. There's something about the seasoning of the teppan grill that makes it special. Plus the fun of cooking it yourself. It would be good for a group, since each person could try a lot of different things and have them all going at once, etc.

The restaurant is tucked backbackback in a residential neighborhood, which seemed so strange to me. There's other coolguy retail clothing and whatnot there as well, right next to single family homes. Tasty food and good company - one of the highlights of my trip so far!

~Tad

[JasonTrue]

Both Monja and Okonomi-yaki are fairly modern dishes. Okonomiyaki emerged as Osaka merchants started interacting with foreign traders and had access to novel ingredients.

In one monjya place they were offering "Baby Star" fried noodle snacks as an option with their monja.

I liked a tofu and kimchi monjayaki, in which the tofu is cooked in the center of the "O" before the liquid is added; this simply wouldn't work with okonomiyaki. But I'm still not much of a monjya fan yet.

FoodZealot, on Nov 6 2005, 02:45 AM, said:

Thanks, Kris!  It was my first experience with monjyayaki, and I enjoyed it - and I finally know what and how to use those spatula whatsits.  It seems more like a modern dish because of the elements from other cultures that are available - curry, cheese, etc.  Kris is the monjyamaster!!  Cheese and cod roe might sound odd, but fried cheese is a universal, and as Kris said, it's more for texture anyway.  There's something about the seasoning of the teppan grill that makes it special.  Plus the fun of cooking it yourself.  It would be good for a group, since each person could try a lot of different things and have them all going at once, etc.

The restaurant is tucked backbackback in a residential neighborhood, which seemed so strange to me.  There's other coolguy retail clothing and whatnot there as well, right next to single family homes.  Tasty food and good company - one of the highlights of my trip so far!

~Tad

[FoodZealot]

Here's a pic of the entryway in case anyone goes to the restaurant:

[jschyun]

can't believe I missed this. Awesome!

[fenyx66]

Monjayaki eh? I didn't really like this the first time I had it, but then I tried the garlic Monjayaki that had some soy sauce mixed in and I was hooked. The garlic goes so well with it. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat some right now.

[jkonick]

What kind of mochi is in that? Is it the dried brick/disk kind, or is it fresh? If it was dried, does it get soft as it cooks? I've always wanted to try okonomiyaki with mochi but I'm afraid that I'll end up with a big chunk of hard mochi in it.

[torakris]

jkonick, on Feb 1 2006, 08:01 PM, said:

What kind of mochi is in that? Is it the dried brick/disk kind, or is it fresh? If it was dried, does it get soft as it cooks? I've always wanted to try okonomiyaki with mochi but I'm afraid that I'll end up with a big chunk of hard mochi in it.

It is the regular dried stuff. Normally it is cut up into small squares, it melts into a nice soft mass, that is wonderful with mentaiko and cheese.....

[fenyx66]

yeah, I love mochi in my okonomiyaki too... It is what torakris says it is, I encourage you to try it as soon as you can, in fact stop reading this and go. GO NOW!!!

(I am so hungry my stomach is digesting itself)

[prasantrin]

torakris, on Feb 2 2006, 08:32 AM, said:

It is the regular dried stuff. Normally it is cut up into small squares, it melts into a nice soft mass, that is wonderful with mentaiko and cheese.....

I use the kind used for nabe--very thin rectangular mochi. I used to like cheese, mochi and pork (bara) okonomiyaki, but I started to find that it was too heavy. Now I either go with cheese and pork or mochi and pork. I'm going out for okonomiyaki later this week--gotta decide which to have!

[jkonick]

Alright! I have mochi, okonomiyaki mix and cabbage, so tomorrow will be mochi okonomiyaki for lunch!