Kaki Cheese Mayo is commonly found in Japanese restaurants. Anyone who has been to a Japanese restaurant would be familiar with this tasty treat. It is a type of motoyaki, which is a style of cooking with baked food topped with Japanese mayonnaise sauce served in an oyster shell. Popular options of motoyaki are oyster and seafood motoyaki. It is especially popular on the Pacific coast of Japan.
What is a Kaki Cheese Mayo?
Kaki Cheese Mayo literally means grilled oyster topped with Japanese style mayonnaise and cheese paste. Believe me, baked seafood and cheese mayo are the perfect match which combines the cheesy texture with gooey seafood. Green mussels and fresh oysters are especially popular ingredient choices for Kaki Cheese Mayo.
Mayonnaise is one of the most popular condiments around the world and it is widely used in many countries. In this dish, mayonnaise plays a very important role in this dish. Japanese style mayonnaise tastes better compared to a normal mayonnaise. Why is it so?
Japanese mayonnaise and normal mayonnaise are actually highly similar and share some ingredients. However, there are some unique ingredients that give Japanese mayonnaise a different flavour and texture than that of normal Mayo.
Normal mayo is usually made from soy-based vegetable oil along with water, eggs, distilled vinegar, salt, and sugar. Alternatively, some brands will add their seasonings, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. Japanese mayonnaise also uses soy-based vegetable oil and many of the same ingredients. In contrast, they don’t add water to the mixture. Japanese mayo uses apple or rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar. Other than that, Japanese mayonnaise uses egg yolks only rather than whole eggs.
This difference between them gives Japanese mayo a thicker texture, at the same time plays a role as a rich and slightly sweet condiment. Some producers of Japanese mayonnaise also use monosodium glutamate (MSG) which is a flavour enhancer to make almost all food taste better.
Variations of Kaki Cheese Mayo
As Japan is an island nation surrounded by the ocean, its people have always taken advantage of the abundant seafood supply. Therefore, this dish using oysters is popular and common along the coast. Other than the typical toppings, which are mayo and cheese, toppings such as mushroom, spinach, and pepper are also found in the dish. There is also a mentai version of it known as Kaki Mentai Cheese Yaki, which has additional cod roe on top of it. You can also go fancy and add a dollop of caviar on top of the oyster. Ebi Motoyaki, which a speciality dish of grilled tiger prawns in creamy and savoury Japanese white sauce, also makes a perfect appetiser.
Why are oysters so popular in Japan?
Oysters are a delicacy enjoyed the world over, and are often referred to as “sea milk” as it has high nutritional values. Japan is very lucky to be home to numerous oyster varieties, which have been consumed in Japan since the Jomon period. Japanese oysters have even been introduced and cultivated around the world to help replace depleted local stocks.
The two major types of oysters available in Japan are the Pacific oysters and Iwagaki oysters. Pacific oysters are found during winter while Iwagaki oysters are found during summer. Iwagaki oysters are comparably larger compared to Pacific oysters.
Where to find Kaki Cheese Mayo in Malaysia?
Kaki Cheese Mayo can be found in most Japanese restaurants in Malaysia. You can find them at Hana Tei Restaurant (Bangsar).
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