お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki)

Name: お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup dashi stock (or water with dashi powder); 2 eggs; 1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded; 4 green onions, chopped; 1/2 cup tenkasu (tempura scraps); 1/2 cup pickled red ginger (beni shoga); Vegetable oil for cooking; Okonomiyaki sauce (or Worcestershire-based sauce); Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie); Bonito flakes (katsuobushi); Aonori (dried seaweed flakes)

お好み焼き (oh-KOH-noh-mee-YAH-kee)

Okonomiyaki

⏱ Prep Time 15 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking

📈 Difficulty Medium

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 478 kcal

A savory pancake made from a batter of flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, and dashi, filled with various ingredients like chicken thigh, shrimp, or squid, then topped with a sweet-savory sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and aonori seaweed.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 22.0g

Carbs 48.0g

Fat 22.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

dairy-free nut-free vegetarian

Allergen Warnings

⚠ eggs ⚠ gluten

Equipment Needed

flat griddle or large skillet spatula mixing bowl

Presentation Guide

Vessel: served on hot plate or griddle

Garnishes: okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes, aonori seaweed

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dashi stock (or water with dashi powder)
2 eggs
1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup tenkasu (tempura scraps)
1/2 cup pickled red ginger (beni shoga)
Vegetable oil for cooking
Okonomiyaki sauce (or Worcestershire-based sauce)
Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
Bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
Aonori (dried seaweed flakes)

Instructions

1
Mix flour, dashi stock, and eggs into a smooth batter. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2
Fold in the shredded cabbage, green onions, tenkasu, and pickled ginger. Do not overmix — lumpy is fine and keeps it fluffy.
3
Heat a flat griddle or large non-stick pan over medium heat with a thin layer of oil.
4
Pour half the batter onto the griddle and shape into a round pancake about 1 inch thick. Do not press down.
5
Cook for 4-5 minutes until the bottom is golden and set. Carefully flip using two spatulas and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes.
6
Transfer to a plate and generously drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise in a crosshatch pattern.
7
Top with a mound of bonito flakes (they will dance in the heat) and sprinkle with aonori seaweed. Serve immediately while hot.

💡

Did You Know?

The name okonomiyaki literally means "grilled as you like it" — reflecting its customizable nature. Osaka and Hiroshima have rival styles and a fierce debate over which is the true okonomiyaki.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

flat griddle or large skillet
spatula
mixing bowl

Garnishing

okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes, aonori seaweed

The Story Behind お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki)

The roots of okonomiyaki trace back to the 16th century, when tea master Sen no Rikyu served funoyaki, a thin flour pancake with miso. The modern savory version evolved from issen yoshoku, cheap one-cent Western-style crepes popular in Kyoto during the Taisho period (1912-1926). The name 'okonomiyaki,' meaning 'grilled as you like it,' first appeared in 1930s Osaka. In Hiroshima, the dish took on special significance after the atomic bombing in 1945, when survivors used whatever ingredients were available to make affordable, filling meals on improvised griddles.

Okonomiyaki represents the democratic, improvisational spirit of Japanese home cooking. Osaka and Hiroshima have a friendly rivalry over whose version is superior: Osaka-style mixes all ingredients into the batter, while Hiroshima-style layers them with yakisoba noodles. In Osaka, it is a point of civic pride, and the city is sometimes called 'the kitchen of Japan' partly because of its street food culture centered around okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed casual dinner or weekend meal, often cooked at the table on a teppan griddle in restaurants 📜 Origins: 16th century

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