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Okonomiyaki Recipe

This Okonomiyaki recipe brings you a Japanese pancake full of savory flavors and crispy ingredients, and it's easy to make at home!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Okonomiyaki:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2-3 inch piece of Nagaimo/Yamaimo
  • 3/4 cup dashi or 3/4 cup water with 1 tsp of dissolved dashi powder
  • 1 large head of cabbage approx. 8 cups
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped shrimp chips or tempura scraps Tenkasu/Agedama
  • 1/4 cup pickled red ginger Kizami Beni Shoga, thinly sliced
  • Vegetable oil

Okonomiyaki Sauce:

  • 1.5 TBSP honey
  • 2 TBSP oyster sauce
  • 4 TBSP Sriracha sauce if you want to avoid spicy, you can use ketchup
  • 3.5 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Garnishes:

  • Okonomiyaki sauce
  • Japanese mayonnaise
  • Katsuobushi
  • Thinly sliced scallions
  • Nori Komi Furikake or dried green seaweed powder
  • Thinly sliced pickled red ginger

Adding meats:

  • Some folks enjoy the addition of meat to their okonomiyaki. I like to add cooked and roughly chopped shrimp to mine but you can also use squid or any other meats you fancy. Simply add your meats to the top of the pancake when you initially spoon it onto the pan and press down with a spatula to secure. I always cook my fish prior to this step to avoid it from being undercooked.

Instructions

Okonomiyaki Sauce:

  • In a small bowl, mix together the honey, oyster sauce, Sriracha and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

Okonomiyaki:

  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder; whisk until well blended. Set aside.
  • Peel the nagaimo and grate it into a small bowl.
  • Add the grated nagaimo and dashi to the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until combined, cover and refrigerate for an hour.
  • In the meantime, you can cook any meats you plan to add, prepare your Okonomiyaki Sauce and mince your cabbage, core removed. If your cabbage is very moist, press with a paper towel and set it aside to let the moisture evaporate so that it doesn't dilute the batter.
  • Once the batter has been in the fridge for an hour, remove it and add the eggs, the chopped shrimp chips or tempura scraps and the pickled red ginger. Stir until well-combined.
  • Add the cabbage to the batter approx. 2 cups at a time. Stir well before adding the rest.
  • In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over moderate heat.
  • Carefully spoon the batter in a circle on the pan (approx. 2 cups worth).
  • If using meat, place is on top and lightly press into the wet batter to secure. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
  • Once the bottom side is nicely browned, carefully flip it over.
  • Gently press down on the okonomiyaki to reshape (if needed) and keep it together.
  • Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Flip over one last time and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
  • Transfer to a plate or baking sheet and continue with the others until done.

Assembly:

  • Brush the Okonomiyaki Sauce over the top surface of the pancake, then drizzle the Japanese mayo over it in zigzag lines. Sprinkle some katsuobushi over it, followed by your other toppings. In my case, it was Nori Komi Furikake, thinly sliced scallions and thinly sliced pickled red ginger.

Notes

* There is one hour of idle time for this recipe.
* Okonomiyaki freezes well. Once cooled, wrap each in aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. When you want to eat one, take it out, let it thaw and put it in the oven at 350 degrees until it reaches your preferred temperature.