Savory, filling and delicious Japanese pancakes, OKONOMIYAKI. If you’re familiar with Japanese food and culture, you may know that this is probably one of the most popular “soul foods” in Japan. But did you know that there are two major types of Okonomiyaki? Let’s dive in and talk more about this popular Japanese dish!
What is Okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki is a savory, filling and delicious vegetable pancake people like to eat for lunch or dinner in Japan. Okonomi (お好み) means “as you like” and Yaki (焼き) means “cooked” in Japanese. So Okonomiyaki is petty much a “cook as you like” meal, and everyone has their own favorite ingredients to add to their Okonomiyaki! And the best part is… you can make Okonomiyaki in three easy steps: cut (cabbage leaves), mix (all the ingredients together), and cook. That’s it!
The main ingredients you cannot miss is a Okonomiyaki batter (don’t worry, you can see exactly how you can make your own Okonomiyaki batter in my recipe down below) and sliced cabbages. If you have a head of cabbage you need to use up in your fridge, Okonomiyaki is a perfect dish for you! Also, I noticed that I don’t see many main or side dishes that use cabbages here in the States very often. So if you feel like you need more variety of recipes that use cabbage leaves, make sure and give Japanese Okonomiyaki a try!
Osaka Style Okonomiyaki vs Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki
You may have heard of Okonomiyaki before, but did you know that there are two major kinds of Okonomiyaki in Japan?
Osaka style Okonomiyaki is where all the ingredients are mixed into the batter and cooked altogether. This is the one I grew up eating at home in Japan and that comes to my mind first when I hear the word “Okonomiyaki.” If you are making Okonomiyaki at home for the first time, I recommend tying the Osaka style one. It’s fast, easy and hard to mess up! Also, if you have small children to feed, Osaka style Okonomiyaki probably would be easier for them to eat than Hiroshima style one.
Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki is where all the ingredients are cooked separately and stacked up together at the end. The biggest difference between Osaka style Okonomiyaki and Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki is that Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki has yakisoba noodles in it. Hence their Okonomiyaki is even more filling than Osaka style, and it is SO GOOD. If you go to Hiroshima, you would see at least one or two Okonomiyaki restaurants on each block, and it would be hard to find one that doesn’t have good Okonomiyaki. Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki is normally cooked and served on a hot Teppan (flat griddle) right in front of you, and you get to eat or share it with your family and friends. It really is an experience you don’t want to miss while in Hiroshima!
Ingredients and Toppings of Okonomiyaki
By now you may be wondering, “Okay, I get that you can add whatever you like to your Okonomiyaki…. but can you give me some examples?” Yes, of course!
In Japan, seafoods are very popular ingredients in Okonomiyaki. Here is a list of seafoods you could add to your Okonomiyaki
- Shrimp
- Squid
- Octopus
- Crab
If you aren’t a big fan of seafood, don’t worry. There are plenty of other ingredients you can add to your Okonomiyaki!
- Cheese
- Kirimochi (cut into small pieces)
- Bean sprouts
- Chinese chives
- Sliced sausages
- Tofu
- Kimchi
And the list goes on! Okonomiyaki is a savory vegetable pancake, so it would be safe to say whatever goes well with cooked vegetables would go well with Okonomiyaki as well! But I hope these lists gave you some ideas!
When it comes to toppings, you can’t forget a bottle of Okonomiyaki sauce and Kewpie Mayo since they are absolute staples for Okonomiyaki. If you don’t have the sauce and mayo in your pantry or fridge, you should be able to find both items pretty easily at any local Asian grocery stores in the States. After you spread the sauce on your Okonomiyaki and make a pretty pattern with mayo, you may add Aonori (green laver), sliced pickled ginger and bonito flakes if you would like!
And now you should have a beautiful Okonomiyaki for yourself! Enjoy the savory vegetable pancakes, I hope you’ll love it!
If you would like to see my Okonomiyaki cooking in action, click HERE to see my Reel video on IG!
Please let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them!
Three Step Japanese Okonomiyaki Recipe
Ingredients
Okonomiyaki Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 2 TBS bonito powder
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 eggs
Okonomiyaki Fillings
- 5 leaves cabbage
- 10 shrimp (no skin, no tail) cut each shrimp into 2 or 3 pieces
- 8 slices bacon cut them in half
Okonomiyaki toppings
- 1/4 cup Okonomiyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup Kewpie Mayo
- 1 TBS Aonori (green laver) Add if you would like
- 1 tsp sliced pickled ginger Add if you would like
- 1/4 cup bonito flakes Add if you would like
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all the Okonomiyaki batter ingredients and mixed them up until you don't see crumbles of flour
- Slice cabbage leaves, cut shrimp into small pieces and add them to the batter and mix well. (This is also where you add any ingredients you would like to add to your Okonoimyaki)
- Grease and heat up your electric griddle at 350 F or a pan on a medium heat
- Use 1/2 cup and scoop up the Okonomiyaki mixture. Evenly spread it on the griddle or pan and cook it covered or non-covered till the bottom of Okonomimyaki is golden brown
- When the bottom of Okonomiyaki is nice and golden brown, place a few thin bacon pieces on top and flip it to cook the other side for 5 mins or till it's golden brown
- When the bacon side of Okonomiyaki is cooked completely, remove it from the griddle or pan and place it on a plate
- Spread some Okonomiyaki sauce, add kewpie mayo (have fun making a fun pattern!) and any other toppings you would like to add to your Okonomiyaki
- Enjoy your savory vegetable pancake!