Mentaiko Cheese Monjayaki

Experience Tokyo's beloved street food favorite at home — Mentaiko Cheese Monjayaki features a savory liquid batter, spicy salted cod roe, crisp cabbage, and melted cheese cooked directly on a hot griddle.

Ingredients

• 100 g cake flour
• 300 ml water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 150 g green cabbage
• 50 g bean sprouts
• 20 g tenkasu
• 10 g sakura shrimp
• 15 g red pickled ginger
• 50 g mentaiko
• 60 g pizza cheese
• 1 tbsp salad oil
• to taste bonito flakes
• to taste aonori

Instructions

1. 1Chop the cabbage

   

   Place the fresh green cabbage on a wooden cutting board and use a sharp knife to roughly mince it. This prepares the base of the monjayaki.

   Tip: Chop the cabbage into manageable pieces so it cooks down evenly and blends well with the batter.
2. 2Add water to flour

   

   Put cake flour into a clean glass bowl and gradually pour in water little by little while stirring to dissolve the flour completely without lumps.

   Tip: Adding the water little by little helps prevent lumps from forming in the batter.
3. 3Mix in the sauces

   

   Add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the dissolved flour mixture and mix everything thoroughly to create a well-seasoned batter.

   Tip: Ensure the sauces are evenly incorporated into the liquid batter before adding the solid ingredients.
4. 4Add ingredients

   

   Add the chopped cabbage, bean sprouts, tenkasu, sakura shrimp, red pickled ginger, and mentaiko on top of the mixture in the bowl.

   Tip: Layer the ingredients carefully before mixing so that everything distributes evenly.
5. 5Mix all ingredients

   

   Use a spoon or spatula to thoroughly mix all the added vegetables, shrimp, ginger, and mentaiko together with the batter.

   Tip: Mix gently to combine the ingredients without splashing the liquid out of the bowl.
6. 6Pour oil on the hot plate

   

   Heat the black rectangular hot plate to medium temperature and pour a small amount of salad oil onto the surface using a small glass bowl.

   Tip: Make sure the hot plate is evenly heated before pouring the oil.
7. 7Place vegetables on the hot plate

   

   Place the freshly mixed cabbage and vegetable ingredients onto a heated hot plate spread with salad oil.

   Tip: Make sure the hot plate is at medium temperature before adding the vegetables.
8. 8Chop and stir-fry vegetables

   

   Use spatulas to chop and stir-fry the vegetables directly on the hot plate until they begin to soften and mix well.

   Tip: Chop through the ingredients repeatedly to break down the cabbage pieces.
9. 9Form a ring shape with vegetables

   

   Push the chopped and stir-fried vegetable mixture outward to form a circular ring or dam with an open space in the middle on the hot plate.

   Tip: Ensure the center opening is completely clear so the batter can pool directly on the hot surface.
10. 10Pour batter into the center

    

    Pour the prepared liquid batter mixture directly into the empty center of the vegetable ring on the hot plate.

    Tip: Pour steadily to prevent the batter from overflowing the vegetable barrier too quickly.
11. 11Add shredded cheese

    

    Scatter pizza cheese evenly across the top of the simmering batter and surrounding ingredients once the liquid begins to bubble.

    Tip: Distribute the cheese evenly so it melts smoothly into the mixture.
12. 12Mix vegetables and batter

    

    Use spatulas to thoroughly mix the cooked vegetables and the simmering batter together directly on the hot plate.

    Tip: Keep the heat at medium to prevent the mixture from burning while combining.
13. 13Spread the monjayaki evenly

    

    Spread the thoroughly mixed monjayaki mixture evenly across the surface of the hot plate and continue heating until it thickens.

    Tip: Spread it into a thin layer so it cooks uniformly.

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