TtoE Okonomi Yakisoba

In the summer, my appetite dwindles as we swelter in humid weather in the Kanto area. I'd rather not cook too often, and mostly make salads that only require a good knife and a cutting board to prepare. The latest salad I've gotten hooked on is diced cucumber and celery with big chunks of pineapple drizzled with ponzu vinegar and sprinkled with a pinch of togarashi.

There were a few rings of pineapple left over.

For the next meal, I was not feeling enthusiastic about cooking, but I got to thinking about summer festival food. This led to thoughts about yatai that serve yakisoba. Now I had an appetite!

I don't miss the greasy yatai version that slides around on a layer of fat, and I prefer a veggie-laden stir fry. In the spirit of okonomi, I put in bunashimeji mushrooms that I like. And pineapple!

Fresh yakisoba noodles often come with those little packets of sauce mix. What's in that stuff? Most likely the sauce mix is dehydrated things I have in my kitchen already, and a lot of salt. So I give them a miss and mix my own sauce. Most recipes call for Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and sugar.

I didn't happen to have the first ingredient, so I substituted ponzu, crushed garlic for umami, and tobanjan for a bit of kick.

The pineapple is sweet, so it sets off the umami of the sauce and bacon. It's a pretty healthful meal with all the veg in it.

Do you put "okonomi" ingredients in your stirfry dishes or curry or miso soup?