The one factor higher than recipe? When one thing’s really easy that you simply don’t even want one. Welcome to It’s That Easy, a column the place we discuss you thru the dishes and drinks you may make along with your eyes closed.
Ketchup is a culinary everyman. You devour a dollop with tater tots, a wavy line throughout the again of your hotdog, squelched between burger and bun. Candy, acidic, and savory, there’s no less than a pair centuries of meals science at play in that bottle. So would you imagine me if I mentioned—with simply two additional components—ketchup might style even higher? My colleague and take a look at kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin’s Japanese-style okonomiyaki sauce proves it may possibly.
Additionally known as okonomi sauce, it’s an umami-heavy sauce that’s criss-crossed (normally with Kewpie mayonnaise) on crispy okonomiyaki—a savory pancake filled with cabbage, meat, and seafood. Okonomiyaki sauce is a descendent of Worcestershire sauce: The British condiment arrived in Japan within the 1800s, due to elevated commerce between the nations, and had steadily grown in reputation. However as okonomiyaki, a filling and low-cost meal, turned a staple in submit–World Conflict II Japan, distributors discovered Worcestershire sauce too skinny and runny for his or her savory pancakes. Okonomi sauce was developed particularly for okonomiyaki, maintaining the punchy character of its British forebear however making it thicker and sweeter, due to components like dates, raisins, and apple.
Japanese condiment model Otafuku has been promoting okonomi sauce since 1950, and although you should buy a bottle on Amazon immediately, making your individual takes actually two minutes. Kendra’s simple recipe streamlines the OG okonomiyaki sauce by uniting three pantry energy gamers below one roof: Ketchup is the boss. Worcestershire sauce delivers an anchovy wallop that’s balanced with a molasses-y sweetness and a vinegary tang. And soy sauce brings its attribute salty funk. They work collectively to show ketchup into an additional flavorful model of itself. “It’s a deeper, extra savory expertise,” says Kendra.
Right here’s find out how to make Okonomiyaki Sauce:
Eyeball ½ cup ketchup right into a small bowl. Add a splash of soy sauce, adopted by a splash of Worcestershire sauce (about 1 Tbsp. every). Stir nicely to mix. Regulate to your tastes; I favor much less ketchup and extra Worcestershire and soy.
Use your okonomiyaki sauce as you’d ketchup: liberally. Don’t overthink it. After all it’s chic on its namesake pancakes, nevertheless it’s good for lots greater than that too. With its assertive flavors, this sauce is constructed for fried meals, like pork or rooster katsu, tofu nuggets, and tempura veggies. Mount it on omurice, an omelet perched on ketchup fried rice. Drizzle a little bit into your tomato and egg stir-fry or a steaming bowl of ramen. Unfold some on a sandwich. Swap it in for a supercharged Russian dressing. Elevate a pinky whereas dunking a fry, you fancy factor you.
Yet one more factor
Need one other fast condiment improve? Look no additional. (Ketchup, as they might say in journalism, is my beat.) On this recipe from chef Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook dinner, you mix ketchup with tahini, mango amba, and harissa. Just like the okonomiyaki sauce, it takes mere minutes, and can change your life perpetually. Or no less than your French fries. Similar factor.
All you want are three components to take store-bought ketchup from good to superb.
