Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki means cook what you like — an instruction, not a name. The Osaka version packs grated cabbage into a thick batter of flour, cold dashi and egg, then cooks it in a cast-iron pan until the edges caramelize and the centre stays custardy. Pork belly goes on top before the flip, rendering directly against the hot iron. Hiroshima's interpretation layers the same components separately — batter first, vegetables next, then noodles — and the city's residents insist it is a different dish entirely. Both versions share the finishing ritual: okonomiyaki sauce brushed on, Kewpie piped in zigzags, katsuobushi scattered to wave in the residual heat.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Can be frozen
Great for meal prep
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 200g plain flour (or cake flour)
- 240ml cold dashi stock (or water + 1 tsp dashi powder)
- 2 large eggs
- 400g white cabbage, finely shredded
- 200g thinly sliced pork belly (buta bara), cut into 5 cm pieces
- 2 tbsp tenkasu (tempura scraps, optional)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
- 4 tbsp okonomiyaki sauce (e.g. Otafuku brand)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to serve
- Aonori (powdered seaweed) to serve
How to make it
- 1In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, eggs, and cold dashi until just combined — do not overmix.
- 2Fold in shredded cabbage and tenkasu with a spatula; the batter should be thick and mounded with cabbage.
- 3Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, brush with a thin layer of oil.
- 4Pour batter into the pan and shape into a disc about 2 cm thick.
- 5Lay pork belly slices over the entire top surface.
- 6Cook 5–6 minutes on medium-low until the edges look set and the underside is golden-brown.
- 7Flip carefully using two spatulas, pressing lightly; cook another 5–6 minutes until pork is crisp and batter is cooked through.
- 8Brush the pork side with okonomiyaki sauce, drizzle Kewpie in a zigzag, scatter katsuobushi and aonori.
- 9Serve immediately from the pan.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
