This encased meat variation on a bun comes from the mind of food blogger, Pomai of The Tasty Island. The star in question isn't a run of the mill hot dog but Redondo's Arabiki Sausage... ok Pomai actually used the Arabiki Hot Dog but I preferred the "snap" of the natural casing in the sausage. I also substituted my favorite sandwich bread - the Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins - in place if the usual hot dog buns. The Sandwich Thins were actually the perfect length for the shorter, smaller sausages. Pomai dresses this Tonkrazy Dog with thinly sliced raw cabbage (like what you'll find under a good tonkatsu), julienne takuan (pickled daikon or white radish) and shoga (sweet pickled ginger) then tops it with tonkatsu sauce (his choice is Bulldog or Ikari, I used Bulldog).
The snap of the sausage was complemented by the crunch of the takuan and crispy cabbage. The sweet and sour of the takuan and shoga nicely balanced the richness of the Arabiki sausage while the sweet fruity quality of the tonkatsu sauce complemented the pork flavor the way a good chutney or fruit based compote is perfect with roasted or grilled pork tenderloin or loin.
Will I have it again? Definitely though I'll wait a while since two Arabiki sausages provides about half of your daily allowance of saturated fat. To view Pomai's actual post, click the link:
http://tastyislandhawaii.com/blog/2009/02/26/redondos-arabiki-hot-dog-sausages/
Comments
Speaking of Haute Dogs, have you heard of Hapa Dog? They have a small stand next to a Chinese restaurant in the food court in the basement of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza.
They have an 'Okidog' that's topped with Rafute, a 'Yobodog', that of course has Kim Chee on it, and get this, a 'Miso Hungry' Dog, that has, you guessed it, a miso sauce!
I have yet to blog it, as their hours are limited to lunch only and they're closed on Sundays.
Here's t here Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Honolulu-HI/HAPADOG/362911700224
Can you read the first comment written in Japanese? I'm curious what they said!
I also did a Tonkrazy Dog with the smaller and snappier Arabiki Sausage, which I also preferred over the more processed flavor of the Arabiki Hot Dogs. But yeah, most sausages can only be eaten in moderation due to the high sodium and fat.