Japan · Japanese cuisine of Osaka (Kansai)
Osaka okonomiyaki
A thick, fluffy savoury pancake of finely cut cabbage, egg and grated mountain yam, griddled with crisp pork belly and finished with glossy okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, bonito flakes and green nori.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Japan
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: Joli Rumi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · cropped
original Original text, written in English.
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- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cooking
- 30 min
- Resting
- 60 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
Cuisine / tradition: Japanese cuisine of Osaka (Kansai) (JP) — declared by the author
- Main dish
- Street food
- Fried
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 120 g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sugar, for the batter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 160 g nagaimo or yamaimo (mountain yam), peeled and grated
- 180 ml dashi
- 640 g green cabbage, cored and finely minced
- 4 piece eggs
- 30 g tenkasu (tempura crumbs)
- 40 g beni shoga (red pickled ginger), chopped, divided
- 250 g thinly sliced pork belly (8 slices), cut in 10 cm pieces
- 4 tbsp neutral oil, for cooking
- 4 tbsp ketchup, for the sauce
- 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, for the sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce, for the sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, for the sauce
- 4 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- 8 tbsp katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
- 4 tbsp aonori (green laver powder)
- 2 piece spring onions, thinly sliced
Method
- Step 1. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Grate the peeled yamaimo (wear gloves or rinse your hands afterwards, as it can itch), add it with the dashi and mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.⏱ 60 min
- Step 2. Remove the core of the cabbage, slice it thinly, then mince it finely, wash and drain it very well. Chop the pickled ginger and cut the pork into 10 cm pieces. Mix the sauce ingredients (ketchup, Worcestershire, oyster sauce, sugar) until the sugar dissolves.
- Step 3. Add the eggs, the tenkasu and two-thirds of the pickled ginger to the batter and mix. Fold in the cabbage in three additions, mixing gently each time; stop if the cabbage overwhelms the batter.
- Step 4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. For each pancake, pile a quarter of the mixture into a round about 15 cm across and 2 cm thick, without pressing it down, and lay 2 slices of pork on top. Cook two at a time in two pans.
- Step 5. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until the underside is golden. Flip, press very gently, cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Flip once more and cook uncovered for 2 minutes, until the pork is crisp.⏱ 12 min
- Step 6. Slide onto a plate. Brush with the sauce, draw zigzags of mayonnaise, then scatter with the katsuobushi, aonori, spring onion and the remaining ginger. Serve at once, cut in wedges. Repeat for the other pancakes.
Story and cultural note
Okonomiyaki means griddled as you like it. Osaka (Kansai) and Hiroshima are the two common styles: in the Osaka style all the ingredients, cabbage and proteins included, are mixed into the batter and cooked as one pancake, while in Hiroshima they are layered, usually with a fried egg and a layer of noodles. The grated yamaimo is traditional and gives a soft, fluffy texture; some recipes leave it out and add an extra egg. Toppings are okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, katsuobushi, aonori and pickled red ginger.
Tips for success
Mince the cabbage finely and drain it well so that the pancake holds together. Chill the batter for at least 1 hour: the yamaimo and the rest give a fluffy texture. Do not press the pancake down while it cooks. Cook it covered over medium-low heat so that the inside cooks through while the outside browns. Flip with two spatulas.
Serving and presentation
Serve on a plate, pork side up, with sauce brushed over, mayonnaise in zigzags, katsuobushi, aonori and spring onion, cut in wedges at the table, with the remaining pickled ginger on the side.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietDairy-freeNut-free
ContainsGluten (cereals)EggsFishSoyMolluscsSulphites
