Lola's Okonomiyaki (Kansai-style)

July 13, 2023 Lola Milholland

I was delighted when I experimented by using our Organic Yakisoba Sauce in place of classic Otafuku or Bulldog Okonomiyaki Sauce. It works like a dream! In fact, I insist: try it out! It’s so special!

In the Kansai region, where okonomiyaki was invented and where I lived (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe are all within Kansai), the ingredients are all mixed together and cooked as one mass. Many regions have their own adaptations—the other most famous style comes from Hiroshima—but the Kansai version is the easiest to make. I like to eat this with rice and miso soup.

Lola's Gilgeori Toast (a wild version)

October 31, 2022 Lola Milholland

The year I lived in Kyoto, Japan, I traveled to Korea over winter break. On Christmas morning, in the freezing cold, I was walking to catch a bus and came upon a street food vendor making breakfast sandwiches. The snow had begun to fall and he let me shelter under his tarp while he made me a very simple cabbage-egg omelet that he served between big fluffy slices of white bread with a delicious sauce that reminded me of Japanese okonomiyaki sauce. I loved the sandwich so much! It felt vaguely healthy but also rich and satisfying. When we made our own yakisoba sauce, with some of those same flavor notes, I knew I wanted to try to recreate this breakfast sandwich.

Yakisoba with Lots of Mushrooms

October 31, 2022 Lola Milholland

I find mushrooms spectacularly delicious and satisfying. This dish highlights shiitake mushrooms—every single bite of noodles is tangled with a few mushrooms, which means every bite is a winner. While this recipe calls for shiitake, any number of mushrooms would work well in their place: oysters, criminis, lobsters, chanterelles—any mushrooms that tastes good sautéed in oil. This is now my favorite way to eat yakisoba noodles!

Umi Lo Mein

December 8, 2021 Lola Milholland

Of course, lo mein using our yakisoba noodles! Lo mein—soy-forward stir-fried noodles—descends from Chinese cuisine but has become a distinctly Chinese-American dish. This is such a quick and delicious meal, very kid friendly, and a great template for all kinds of greens! it wouldn’t be unheard of to eat this with a side of wontons!

Gingery Cabbage and Bacon Fried Umi Noodles

May 22, 2017 Lola Milholland

Here we invert the standard ratio of vegetable to grain, using 7 cups of thinly sliced cabbage with one package of Umi Noodles with Miso Sesame Sauce or Yakisoba. The key is to sauté the cabbage quickly over high heat in two batches, unless you have a giant skillet and can do it in one. The entire dish is cooked over high heat, so everything gets golden and irrisistible.

Okonomiyaki, Hiroshima-style

February 21, 2017 Lola Milholland

This popular Japanese street food is the most hearty, lip-smacking cabbage pancake you could dream up, with layers of pork belly, crispy noodles, and a fried egg. It's a show stopper.