Food of Japan

monjayaki


Monjayaki is a Japanese traditional food. Monjayaki is called monja or monjiyaki sometimes. Food texture of monyayaki is mushy so it looks mud. However, it is so delicious that Monjayaki is very famous among not only Japanese but also foreign travelers. Because monjayaki is alike okonomiyaki which is also a Japanese traditional food, foreign travelers may tell monjayaki from okonomiyaki　

Monjayaki is eaten in the various areas of Japan, each area has different characteristic. In a large monjayaki is not sweet, but monjayaki in Gunma prefecture seems to be sweet because it contains strawberry syrup. Monjayaki in Kagawa prefecture often contain sanukiudon that is a special product of Kagawa prefecture. But of a lot of monjayakis, monjayaki at Tsukishima or Asakusa in Tokyo is especially famous. In Tokyo, there is a monjastreet. Monjayaki has been bought at the dagashiya which is shop for mainly children, sell the cheap sweets. But food culture has changed, dagashiyas have been decreasing lately. Therefore, children often do not eat the monjayaki at the dagashiya. Today, monjayaki is regard as a Japanese traditional food, not so much children as adults often eat the monjayaki as tidbits while drinking. 

The origin of monjayaki is back to the azuchimomoyama era. It is said that Senno Rikyu made his pupil cook fuyaki which is made of fu which is breadlike pieces of dried wheat gluten. Later in later Edo era or early Meigi era, it changed monjayaki like now. At that time, monjayaki was famous in Osaka in addition to Tokyo.
Monjayaki is mainly made of wheat flour, some water, vegetables such as corns, cabbage, sea food and meat. Nowdays, some monjayakis include cheese and mochi which is made of rice, the monjayaki is familiar with women and children. The way we cook the monjayaki is very easy and fun. 

Firstly, we need to prepare the cuttlefish, meat, vegetables, soup which is made of water and wheat flour.

Secondly, you fry the ingredients except the soup on the iron plate. Thirdly, you heap up the ingredients, make dote like a small moat with a circle hole in the center.

 Next, you pour the soup into the circle. 

Finally, you mix all ingredients. Almost all of people eat the monjayaki by the small spatula. So it may be a little difficult to eat. I want to learn to cook monjayaki in my house.