We love these Aussie lamb okonomiyaki puffs that Senior Executive Chef Jose Martinez from University of California at Berkeley’s Cal Dining created at a recent event with us in San Francisco. They look great on the plate, but trust us, they taste even better! We caught up with Chef to get the story behind these #aussome puffs.
Chef, where did you get the idea for these? We’d never seen anything like them before.
I play a lot with Japanese food, and the authentic Japanese okonomiyaki pancakes are amazing. On our campus in the volumes that we serve, we can’t make them the traditional way*, but these puffs take the concept and make it something that can be made in advance and reheated.
I know you have a lot of international students on campus, but how do the students respond to them?
The students love them. They get to dress them up however they want, with a toppings bar of bonito flakes, mayo and okono sauce, you name it…they love to get creative and make it their own. Anything customizable is a win with our students!
These are obviously super-versatile; you could use almost any protein or vegetable in them. How did the ground Aussie lamb work?
The lamb works great in these puffs. I seasoned with onions, garlic, curry, paprika, S&P and cayenne, but you can take the spices almost any direction you want. The flavor combination is really nice. Puffs are savory with lots of umami, but mild, so it lets the lamb be the star.
What do you like about cooking with Aussie lamb?
I’m very familiar with Aussie lamb, going all the way back to my culinary school days. It’s always been known to be top-notch in terms of quality and consistency. These days, knowing how it’s raised and the sustainability profile makes it even better.
You’ve been working in campus dining for about 9 years now. What brought you out of the restaurant world and onto campus?
Restaurant life is hard on the family; campus dining gives me a chance to have that life/work balance. My role now is to stay current, and help my chefs stay ahead of what students want and will eat. When you’re serving food in a dining hall setting, wasted food isn’t only a waste, it hurts my food cost! It’s vital to serve what you know the kids will eat.