By Kay Chun
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- 4(663)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Crisp on the outside and custardy in the center, okonomiyaki are pan-fried Japanese pancakes that traditionally feature a filling of cabbage and pork belly. Here, bacon can be substituted for the pork belly, replaced with shrimp or omitted entirely. You can find the more unusual toppings like hondashi, Kewpie mayonnaise, okonomi sauce and dried bonito at any Japanese market. Similar to Worcestershire sauce but sweeter and less salty, the okonomi sauce is combined with Kewpie mayonnaise and umami-rich bonito flakes for a playful topping. This adaptable recipe is a great way to use up leftovers or other vegetables, such as shredded carrots, bean sprouts or chopped snap peas.
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Ingredients
Yield:Two 7-inch pancakes
- 1teaspoon hondashi (bonito soup stock) or instant dashi
- 2large eggs
- ¾cup all-purpose flour
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- 4cups finely shredded green cabbage (about ½ pound)
- 1cup thinly sliced scallions (about 5 scallions)
- 1tablespoon drained pickled red ginger (or finely chopped pickled sushi ginger)
- ¼cup safflower or canola oil
- 3ounces sliced pork belly or bacon, cut crosswise into 5-inch pieces
- Okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise, dried shaved bonito and shredded nori, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
768 calories; 57 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 30 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 790 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
In a large bowl, combine hondashi with 1 cup water and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in eggs until well combined. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk until smooth. Fold in cabbage, scallions and ginger until well incorporated.
Step
2
In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add half the batter, spreading cabbage mixture into an even 6-inch round about 1-inch thick (resist the urge to push down on the mixture). Arrange half the pork belly over the cabbage, slightly overlapping. Cook over medium-low until pancake is set and golden brown underneath, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and carefully flip pancake by inverting onto a plate then slipping back into the skillet.
Step
3
Cook until golden brown on second side, pancake is cooked through in center and pork is lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer pancake, pork side up, onto a large plate. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining oil, batter and pork belly.
Step
4
Drizzle pancakes with okonomi sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise, then top with a handful of shaved bonito and nori. Serve warm.
Ratings
4
out of 5
663
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Cooking Notes
christine
Okonomi sauce 4 ketchup3 Worcestershire sauce2 oyster sauce1 sugar
Dj
So easy to make your own delicious okonomiyaki sauce. Just look online
Cathy
Really good, don't think too hard about the flipping, cabbage holds it together pretty well. Used 1tsp salt, 3 strips of bacon apiece, halved this easy recipe for okonomiyaki sauce (do not skip!): https://www.justonecookbook.com/okonomiyaki-sauce/
Ashley
Absolutely delicious Osaka style Okonomiyaki. This is the easiest recipe I have found made with ingredients I usually keep around the house. To top it off, it’s exactly what I remember it tasting like in Japan. Thank you for the recipe!
John Minagro
I’ve made them with gluten free flour for someone and honestly couldn’t tell the difference.
Robert
I have a brand new stainless steel plancha. This will be the second meal I cook on it. (Bacon was #1). I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
KB
I made a vegetarian and gluten free version by leaving out the bonito, using a GF flour blend, and using hooray foods veggie bacon. Was really good!! I love making okonomiyaki at home because as a vegetarian who doesn't tolerate wheat I can pretty much never have it at a restaurant.
Fran
Basically, this is just a vegetable omelette with a couple of exotic ingredients. Improvise and develop your own. The trick is to know how to flip it over without breaking it; practice with a potato omelette before buying the fancy stuff.
Sylvia Bernstein
Outstanding recipe! Made as directed, except since we don't eat meat I used sixteen shrimp, cut up. Cooked on a baking steel griddle plate and using two spatulas it wasn't too hard to flip.
Nina
After reading the comments about runniness, I reduced the water by half and it came out great. You will think there’s no way the batter will hold together this amount of vegetable, but it was easy to flip after 8 minutes. Just be sure your heat isn’t too high, or it will get too dark on the bottom… Was too lazy to make the sauce; mixed up some regular mayo with sriracha, and sprinkled some furikake on top. This makes two HUGE pancakes!
Jane Kelley Look
So, what happened? Please tell us!
Chris Carhart
I doubled the recipe and poured the whole thing into a giant skillet, flipping it once. This is impossible to mess up, it came like one big pancake the size of a medium pizza. This recipe is impossible to mess up, a keeper for sure
Kate
A whole cup of water will be way too much. Half it. Also, you don’t need baking powder, baking soda, or salt in the batter. Dashi powder already has salt in it. This recipe from Serious Eats is simpler and works perfectly: https://www.seriouseats.com/okonomiyaki-japanese-pancake-cabbage-recipe
cjon
Made it tonight with this exact recipe, it was delicious! The okonomiyakis I had in Japan were always a little wet on the inside. Reduce the amount of water if you want yours firmer. Flipping wasn’t hard at all, but you need to be patient until the pancake is set, and that definitely took me longer than 8 mins each side. Lastly, you might consider adding slightly less salt if bacon strips are used.
Maureen
Made the following modifications: omitted the pork, used Napa cabbage, added one large shredded carrot, topped with raw scallions. It's hard to believe something that tastes this good took less than a half hour to make. The hondashi really boosts the flavor.
jfb
Used onion, fresh ginger. Better than bullion instead of dashiMade sauce from3 T katsup2T worstershire2T soy sauce1T honeyKewpie mayo on topSalty
Good but salty
Turned out good but too salty, I would reduce salt next time or omit it.
David C
Have made this several times now and flipping has always been something of a challenge. This time I reduced the dashi to half a cup and added a third egg, making it set up a little better before the flip. Then heated a second, slightly larger non-stick pan, placed it over the first and then inverted them. Worked great, and since there was bacon covering the now-bottom half, no additional oil was needed.
Donata
Used 4 eggs and added chopped shrimp to batter
Donata
Used 4 eggs and added chopped shrimp to batter
EllieNYC
Very delicious! There is too much liquid. The batter ran to the bottom of the pancake and left the other side a bit bereft of coating when flipped. Put the finished pancake in the air fryer to crisp up a bit.
EllieNYC
Can this be made in a waffle iron?
Michelle
This recipe was delicious. Brought back wonderful memories of our trip to Japan. I followed the recipe exactly and it worked out very well. I would probably remove the salt next time. I can’t imagine trying to flip it if it was any larger.
mdurphy
Thanks Christine for the sauce recipe; it was good. One thing about technique that should be emphasized to those of us who might not be thinking ahead too clearly, or are impatient: make sure the eggs are completely set on top before flipping. I pushed myself to get things on the table for a dinner party and made a mess. It got patched together OK, but not a good look for the chef.
Michelle K
I’ve made this before with bacon. Loved it but it felt a little too rich. This time I made it with prosciutto, yes, I know. But wow! It tasted less greasy and so, big YES. I’m probably gonna do the same next time. Delicious.
fog
Flour 110gWater 120gCabbage 400gPlus de gingembreAugment batter by 1.5x if using half cabbage head (=~1 pound cabbage)
Nancy
Excellent! Made with shrimp. Bought Okonomi sauce at our local Japanese everything store.
S
We made this last night and it was not very successful. Overall too salty and rich. I did use napa cabbage so it might have been a bit overcooked. I wouldn't try this version again. Maybe without the bacon?
Camille Dumas
The name means "how you want it" (plus a lot of cabbage and less pancake batter than you'd expect). It is a fried cake with usually a BBQ type sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise, which is now in regular stores - plus meat, seafood, other vegetables, bonito shavings. I've put burgers, pickles and burger sauce. But it's closer to freeform deep dish pizza or casserole than omelette. Flipping can indeed be hard! Do whatever you need to keep it together, but it'll still be DELICIOUS food if it breaks.
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