Typhoon-Day Hirayachi
ヒラヤーチー·(hee-rah-yah-chee)
The American Uchinanchu Pantry: Foundations
There is a very specific smell that tells an Okinawan-American household a storm is rolling in: the pungent, undeniable aroma of garlic chives and sesame oil hitting a hot skillet. Born from the necessity of typhoons knocking out island power grids, hirayachi (literally 'flat fry') is an exercise in profound, utilitarian simplicity. Forget the towering, heavily garnished mainland okonomiyaki; this is a thin, chewy flatbread built entirely from the pantry. With standard flour, a can of tuna, an egg, and a dash of hondashi, you can conjure the unfiltered truth of an Okinawan grandmother's kitchen on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- cold water1 cup
- egg1 large
- hondashi1 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1 pinch
- garlic chives1 cup
- canned tuna in oil5 oz
- vegetable oil1 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- Japanese Worcestershire sauce1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Whisk the wet into the dry.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the egg, then pour in the cold water, hondashi, salt, and black pepper. Sift or dump in the flour and whisk gently just until the large lumps disappear, taking care not to overmix so the pancake doesn't become rubbery.
- 02
Fold in the flavor.
Add the chopped garlic chives and the lightly drained tuna to the watery batter, using a spatula to gently fold everything together until evenly distributed.
- 03
Heat the skillet.
Place a 10-inch or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add a splash of the vegetable and sesame oil blend, letting it heat until the oil shimmers and a faint wisp of white smoke appears.
- 04
Pour and spread the batter.
Ladle about half a cup of the batter into the center of the hot pan, immediately tilting the skillet or using the back of your ladle to spread it into a thin, even 8-inch circle.
- 05
Fry until crisp, then flip.
Let the pancake cook completely undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the top loses its wet shine, then confidently slide a wide spatula underneath, flip it, and cook the other side for another 2 minutes until toasted spots develop.
- 06
Slice and serve immediately.
Slide the hot hirayachi onto a cutting board, slice it into a grid of squares or wedges, and serve alongside a small dish of Japanese Worcestershire sauce for dipping.
Notes
Pantry substitutions.
If you don't have canned tuna, very finely diced canned Spam is an equally authentic Ryukyuan pantry staple. If garlic chives are unavailable at your local Asian market, chopped scallions will do the trick.
The grandmother's roll and cut.
To eat it exactly like an Okinawan grandmother standing by the stove, skip the cutting board entirely: roll the cooked pancake up into a loose cylinder right in the pan, then use the edge of your spatula to press and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
From Cook Okinawan in America.