Cooking Japanese Street Food with Eat Osaka

Okonomiyaki. That’s why I decided on visiting Osaka. I first fell in love with this Japanese pancake while touring Hiroshima and I’ve dreamt about it ever since. So when I came across Eat Osaka’s Japanese street food cooking class that teaches you how to make a version of okonomiyaki (on a stick no less) I was sold. I’m going to Osaka to make some savoury Japanese flapjacks.

What’s on the menu

After a day of touring the city on my own I met up with Arisa and Mai under the Tsūtenkaku Tower– not the Hitachi tower as noted in my idiots guide to Osaka. From there we we’re taken into Eat Osaka’s small cooking classroom and given a rundown on what was on the menu. Yakitori, homemade udon noodles and of course, Hashimaki – Osaka’s street food version of okonomiyaki.

New skills

After our menu rundown and some fun banter with the hosts it was time to get cooking. In doing so I added to my Japanese higher learning that has already included a night photography tour and a sushi making class. Eat Osaka taught me a couple interesting skills – Making Ramen noodles with my feet (and my ass), and learning to use a knife properly. More specifically, after flattening out our Ramen noodles with our feet it was placed in our back pockets to utilize body heat for the dough to rise.

Just think about that the next time you’re at one of my dinner parties.

Eat Osaka also showed me that my knives at home are garbage and that I cut like a two-year-old. Using high-quality Japanese blades (available for purchase from Eat Osaka) Mai demonstrated with tremendous ease how to properly cut vegetables. Mind blown.

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Flip that pancake

With my new skills intact, Yakitori skewers grilling, and Ramen noodles cooling, it was time for the main event, Hashimaki. Whipping up the batter and ingredients for this Eat Osaka dish was super simple – then came actually cooking it.

Like some sort of master chef competition, each student went up and demonstrated there Hashimaki making skills. Using chopsticks and a spatula each student took their turn rolling this awesome dish. Let me tell you, Mai made it look easier than it is!

Tuck in

With our Hashimaki on chopsticks it was time to taste the rewards of our Eat Osaka class. Of course all the dishes were awesome but my favourites were the Ramen noodles “Osaka Style” and the Hashimaki, now generously topped with Japanese mayo and bonito flakes.

Eat Osaka – so much more then Okonomiyaki on a Stick

I originally signed up with Eat Osaka to learn how to make Okonomiyaki but within minutes of cooking I found that this class offers so much more. Arisa and Mai have put together a fun and informative night of Eat Osaka street food that is delivered in a well-thought-out and delicious way. No doubt Eat Osaka was a highlight of my time in the city.

Now I can’t wait to go home and serve up some bum risen Ramen and Okonomiyaki on a stick.

What say you?
Thoughts on this Eat Osaka cooking class?
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For more reviews from Asia and beyond see HERE.

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Although I was provided a complimentary class with Eat Osaka,
the experience, opinions, and foot-formed ramen are my own.