A popular street food from Osaka, Okonomiyaki is a delicious Japanese savory pancake “grilled as you like it“ with your choice of protein and tasty condiments and toppings. My recipe includes the 6 key ingredients that give your Okonomiyaki a truly authentic taste.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Resting Time1 hourhr
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: cabbage, pork belly
Servings: 4
Calories: 725kcal
Author: Nami
Ingredients
For the Batter
1cupall-purpose flour (plain flour)(weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level off)
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, ¼ tsp sugar, and ¼ tsp baking powder and mix all together.
Peel and grate 5.6 oz nagaimo/yamaimo (mountain yam) in a small bowl (I use a ceramic grater that I love). Note: The nagaimo may irritate your skin and cause itchiness. Work quickly and rinse your hands immediately after touching the nagaimo. It is very slimy and slippery, so make sure you have a good grip on the nagaimoif you wear kitchen gloves.
Add the grated nagaimo and ¾ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) to the bowl.
Mix it all together until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.Meanwhile, prepare the okonomiyaki sauce and other ingredients. Tip: Resting the batter relaxes the gluten, improves the flavor, and makes the okonomiyaki fluffier. Some okonomiyaki shops refrigerate the batter overnight.
To Make the Okonomiyaki Sauce
Meanwhile, gather all the ingredients for the okonomiyaki sauce.
Combine 1½ Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp oyster sauce, ¼ cup ketchup, and 3½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Mix all together until the sugar is completely dissolved.
To Prepare the Other Ingredients
Discard the core of 1 head green cabbage and then mince the cabbage leaves.
Cut ½ lb sliced pork belly in half and set aside.
To Cook the Okonomiyaki
After one hour, take out the batter from the refrigerator. Add 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), ½ cup tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps), and ¼ cup pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) to the bowl. Mix until combined.
Add the minced cabbage to the batter, one-third of it at a time. Mix well before adding the rest.
In a large pan, heat a bit of neutral oil on medium heat. When the frying pan is hot (400ºF or 200ºC), spread the batter in a circle on the pan. We like thicker okonomiyaki (the final thickness is ¾ inches or 2 cm). If you’re new to making okonomiyaki, make it smaller and thinner so it’s easier to flip.
Place 2–3 slices of pork belly on top of the okonomiyaki and cook covered for 5 minutes.
When the bottom side is nicely browned, flip it over.
Gently press the okonomiyaki to fix its shape and keep it together. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
Flip it over one last time and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. If you’re going to cook the next batch, transfer the cooked okonomiyaki to a plate.
To Serve
Serve on individual plates. Spread okonomiyaki sauce on top with a brush or spoon, drizzle with Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise in a zigzag pattern (optional), and sprinkle with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). You can also sprinkle with aonori (dried green laver seaweed) and chopped green onions/scallions and top with pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) for garnish. Please see the video for this step.
To Store
Wrap each okonomiyaki (no sauce or toppings) in aluminum foil and then put it in a freezer bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. When you serve, defrost it first and heat it up in a toaster oven or oven. It‘s a great quick meal!
To Cook Several Okonomiyaki at Once
If you have a Japanese griddle with a lid (we call it a hot plate), you can cook several pieces of okonomiyaki at once. Otherwise, I recommend cooking one okonomiyaki at a time in a frying pan.