Follow along our recipe & enjoy this Japanese pan-fried dish with an ice-cold beer!
If you love Japanese food, you’ll surely love monjayaki!
Monjayaki, or often called monja, is a popular dish in the Kanto region of Japan.
The dish originated from a snack called mojiyaki which was sold at dagashiyas (Japanese candy shop) during the Meiji Period (1868-1912). Kids often went to dagashiyas to practice writing letters with the water and flour batter on teppanyaki grills … giving it the name “mojiyaki” directly translating to “letters grilled.”
You might also think it looks kinda like okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is definitely similar, but it actually came from Osaka … which is in the Kansai region. Although they have a lot of the same ingredients, the less amount of flour used in monja gives it a runnier batter mixture versus okonomiyaki’s.
There really is no right or wrong way of cooking this dish. There are several different types you can make — a few of them listed below.
- Mentai Mochi
- Pork Kimchi
- Natto Mochi
- Curry Cheese
Below are the ingredients and recipe of our monjayaki but feel free to adjust to your liking.
BATTER INGREDIENTS
- Flour
- Dashi Stock
- Water
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- Bonito Flakes
- Tenkasu (Mini tempura batter crumbs)
- Sakura Ebi (Tiny dried shrimp)
- Green Onions
- Cabbage
CONDIMENTS
- Japanese Worcestershire Sauce or Tonkatsu Sauce
- Soy Sauce
DIRECTIONS
- Cut and chop your vegetables and meats
- Thoroughly mix batter ingredients into a bowl
- Put “Additional Ingredients” onto the oiled grill and form a circular donut-like circle
- Carefully pour the batter into the center of the circle/donut you’ve created and cook until the batter thickens
- After it’s cooked, grab your special monja utensil/spatula and grub away!
It’s also pretty good to let it cook a while so it’s all crispy!!! Kinda like a senbei (japanese rice cracker).
Meshiagare or bon appétit! Let us know how your monjayaki turns out!
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