Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake. Instead of using air bubbles to lighten the pancake, thin strips of cabbage provide levity to the cake. This is a very popular street food in Japan, and can be topped with all sorts of different ingredients, as “Okonomiyaki” roughly translates to “Grilled how you like”.

  • ⏲️ Prep time: 10 min
  • 🍳 Cook time: 10 min
  • 🍽️ Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 125g flour

  • 1 egg

  • 125ml water

  • Thinly sliced meat, any kind can do, sliced pork, beef, even bacon

  • Dashi powder or any desired seasonings

  • 2-4 leaves cabbage

  • Pinch salt to taste

  • The following options are traditional but can be substituted with any desired toppings

    • Tonkatsu sauce (sometimes known as Bulldog sauce) in squirt bottle
    • Mayonnaise in squirt bottle
    • Sriacha in squirt bottle
    • Katsuobushi (Dried bonito flakes)
    • Nori (Dried roasted seaweed)

Directions

  1. Chop cabbage into thin strips.
  2. Whisk water and egg together in a bowl and then whisk in flour, salt, and seasonings.
  3. Fold cabbage into batter with as few folds as possible to completely work the cabbage in.
  4. Fry meat in a pre-heated cast-iron pan or griddle on medium-high heat until brown on one side, flip, and immediately pour batter on top after flipping.
  5. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes and either flip the pancake, or move under a broiler to cook the top for another 2-3 minutes.
  6. Move pancake to a serving plate meat side up and squirt tonkatsu sauce, mayonnaise, and sriracha over the top in a zig-zag pattern
  7. Sprinkle katsuobushi and nori on top of the sauces and the okonomiyaki is ready to serve.