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.
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
1Mix flour, dashi stock, and eggs into a smooth batter. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2Fold in the shredded cabbage, green onions, tenkasu, and pickled ginger. Do not overmix — lumpy is fine and keeps it fluffy.
3Heat a flat griddle or large non-stick pan over medium heat with a thin layer of oil.
4Pour half the batter onto the griddle and shape into a round pancake about 1 inch thick. Do not press down.
5Cook 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.
6Transfer to a plate and generously drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise in a crosshatch pattern.
7Top 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.