5 ‘Cook it Yourself’ Style Restaurants You Should Check Out in Japan

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5 ‘Cook it Yourself’ Style Restaurants You Should Check Out in Japan

There is a joy in preparing and cooking your own food exactly the way you want it to be, but in today's busy world, finding the time to do so is a challenge. Cook-it-yourself restaurants are more than a way to take back the pleasure of cooking, however. They are hands-on and involved, the opposite of a passive dining experience found at other restaurants, and much more fun. Japan's cook-it-yourself restaurants are as essential to the roster of Japanese cuisine as favorites like sushi, tempura and ramen.

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5 ‘Cook it Yourself’ Style Restaurants You Should Check Out in Japan

Okonomiyaki

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A typical okonomiyaki is made with a base of flour and eggs, not unlike American pancakes, but the similarities stop there. Vegetables like cabbage, corn and onions make up the bulk, while diners can customize their batter with shrimp, chicken, tofu, noodles or anything they like, really, which is how 'okonomiyaki' got its name, a word meaning 'what you like, grilled'. Many okonomiyaki restaurants allow customers to get in on the action by providing only the batter, teppan (griddle), utensils and condiments. After choosing the batter, mix well to get the desired consistency before pouring it straight onto the hot griddle. Flipping is the tricky part, and using two flippers to do it is common. Once cooked, top with mayonnaisse, savory okonomiyaki sauce and dried bonito flakes for the quintessential taste of 'Japanese Pizza'.

Monjayaki

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Monjayaki is a thinner, more labor-intensive version of okonomiyaki, and is a specialty of the Kanto region and Tokyo in particular. Like okonomiyaki, monjayaki is made with a thin, flour-based batter and a mashup of vegetables and fixings. To make this dish, add all the ingredients except the batter to the pan, and finely chop them using the metal spatula. Shape the mixture into a circle and pour the batter over the top. Monjayaki is typically eaten straight off the pan using small metal spoons shaped like mini spatulas. Most okonomiyaki restaurants will offer monjayaki, as well.

Takoyaki

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Perhaps the most challenging do-it-yourself challenge, takoyaki are savory balls of pan-fried batter filled with pickled ginger and octopus chunks. Restaurants that offer takoyaki griddles are uncommon, but some okonomiyaki restaurants are equipped to handle both. Takoyaki are made on special griddles with round cups, which is how to snack gets its shape. To make takoyaki, mix the batter well and pour it evenly over the pan, and don't worry about batter overflowing from the cups, it's supposed to do that. Drop at least one octopus chunk into each one. When the batter is nicely cooked on the bottom, start folding the excess batter over the top so they can flip more easily, and cook the other side. Like okonomiyaki, takoyaki are usually topped with savory sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes.

Shabu-shabu (Hot Pot)

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Shabu-shabu, also known as hot pot or steamboat, is most often cooked and customized at the table. At shabu-shabu restaurants, you choose your broths and order your fixings, which typically includes vegetables like cabbage, mushrooms and leeks as well as various types of tofu, suigyoza (boiled dumplings) and tsumire, a meaty mixture that comes in a bamboo sleeve. These ingredients are left in the broth to cook and add flavor. The main ingredient is thinly sliced, lean meat which cooks quickly and easily in the hot broth. Many shabu-shabu restaurants offer sukiyaki, as well, which is similar to shabu-shabu except for its signature broth. When making sukiyaki, everything is left in the pot to cook together. It is always made with beef, and usually dipped in raw egg yolk right before eating.

Yakiniku (Barbecue)

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Japanese barbecue, or 'yakiniku' ('grilled meat') restaurants let you cook the meat and vegetables to your liking right at your table. Most of them offer a shichirin, or charcoal grills, for that classic smoky taste. Yakiniku restaurants offer a huge variety of ingredients for the grill, from potatoes, okra and shitake mushrooms to skirt steak (harami), horumon (offal) and kalbi, Korean-style marinated rib meat. Most diners choose to eat their yakiniku with a bowl of steaming rice, while other opt to make lettuce wraps with sanchu (flat lettuce), inspired by the popular Korean barbecue dish known as samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly wrapped in lettuce).

In Conclusion

While it may seem counter-intuitive to pay someone else while you do the work, there are a lot of benefits and enjoyment to the do-it-yourself restaurant trend. Whether it's the social aspect of communal cooking or the simple joys of cooking, these restaurants have so much more to offer diners than just a bite to eat. In order to fully explore the world of Japanese cuisine, experiencing one of the country's many cook-it-yourself restaurants is an essential step.

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