Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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In Japan, the electric griddle is often associated with home parties where many people gather to enjoy “yakiniku” (grilled meat) or “okonomiyaki” (a pan-fried dish made of batter, cabbage and other ingredients) but it's actually something you can use daily.

“Basically, you can use it just like a frying pan,” says Hidemi Sato, who oversaw the cooking science aspect of this week’s recipe, a “chanchan”-style dish that is local fare originating in Hokkaido's fishermen’s towns.

Griddles also have features that frying pans lack that allow you to set the temperature and also keep the food warm. On top of that, using a griddle lets you cut out the step of having to serve your food--you can just have each person scoop their serving right onto their plate.

Though our chanchan-style dish is usually made with salmon, it also turns out great with cod. The water content of the vegetables is used to steam and cook the ingredients under the lid. The failproof combination of miso and butter coats the ingredients. Once you start eating it, you'll have a hard time putting your chopsticks down.

The arranged version cooked in aluminum foil is usually heated in the toaster or frying pan. But on an electric griddle, you can cook other items on the side. If you wrap the ingredients in foil, the flavors won't mix, and you can cook another dish easily.

ELECTRIC GRIDDLES BECOME POPULAR AMID PANDEMIC

“Demand created by nesting” seems to have increased the popularity of the electric griddle. Electrical cooking appliance maker Zojirushi Corp. said its shipment volume for the year ending in November 2020 rose about 20 percent over the same period a year earlier.

Especially popular is a type that comes with a plate for making “takoyaki” (a ball-shaped snack made of batter, octopus and other ingredients) another deep plate and a yakiniku plate equipped with an inclined groove to collect the fat.

One such product that went on the market in August 2020 reportedly saw double the sales of an older model sold over the same period in 2019.

“We think the fact that it can be used in different ways to suit the situation has made it popular,” a Zojirushi spokesperson said.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Akiko Watanabe in the cooking aspect and Hidemi Sato in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves two)

2 fillets of fresh cod (tara), 200 grams Chinese cabbage, 50 grams onion, 40 grams carrot, 100 grams bean sprouts, 10 grams butter, miso sauce (2 Tbsp miso, 2 Tbsp sake, 2 tsp sugar), 1 tsp oil

About 235 kcal and 3.1 grams salt per portion

1. Cut Chinese cabbage in half lengthwise, then cut into pieces 2-cm wide. Cut onion lengthwise into 5-mm-thick slices. Slice carrot into thin rectangles that are 1 cm wide. (PHOTO A).

2. Cut each cod fillet in two and remove the bones (PHOTO B). Sprinkle on a bit of salt.

3. Mix ingredients for miso sauce.

4. Apply oil to electric griddle, spread out vegetables including bean sprouts on plate. Place cod on top, pour miso sauce on cod. Dot with butter in a few places. (PHOTO C).

5. Place lid on, steam and cook for 8 to 9 minutes while adjusting temperature between low and medium heat to prevent burning. When done, mix while breaking up cod and serve in scoops on each plate.

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Akiko Watanabe is a cooking expert specializing in Japanese cuisine.

Hidemi Sato is a visiting professor at Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University.

ARRANGED VERSION

Oyster cooked in foil (Serves one)

Rinse three oysters. Cut stem of “shungiku” green into length of 4 cm. Remove stem of a shiitake mushroom and cut the cap in half. Raise the outer edge of 20-cm square aluminum foil to create depth. Place 5-cm square dried kelp in the center, top with oysters, shungiku, 1/8 (40 grams) of a tofu block and shiitake and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sake. Close foil and cook for 8 minutes on electric griddle while covered with lid and set to medium heat. Season with citrus-based “ponzu” to taste. If you are making two or more servings, make the same bundle on a different sheet of aluminum foil for each person.

COOKERY SCIENCE

The electric griddle's heat is first transmitted from the plate to the bottom of the food and then to the inside of the food (conductive heat). If a lid is placed on top so that the food is steamed and cooked, the heat emitted when evaporating water vapor touches the food and turns into water (condensation heat) also warms the inside of the griddle. Since the heat is transmitted in the same way as the frying pan, it can be used as a substitute.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column