What is okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake-like dish made with a batter of flour and water, cooked on a griddle with various toppings.
The dish is usually seasoned with sauce, mayonnaise, aonori (green laver), and more.
The ingredients and cooking methods can vary depending on the region, resulting in many different styles of okonomiyaki.
It can be made with different sizes and ingredients and is loved by people of all ages.
It is believed that okonomiyaki originated in the 16th century in Japan as a sweet to be served with tea.
Later in the 19th century, a similar dish called monjayaki became popular in Tokyo, becoming the prototype for okonomiyaki.
Over time, it has diversified with ingredients and cooking methods that are specific to regions.
One popular variation is the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which features yakisoba noodles.
Varieties of okonomiyaki
Different types of okonomiyaki are explained below.
Kansai (Osaka)-style okonomiyaki
This style of okonomiyaki is the most well-known and common in Japan.
It is typically prepared by mixing flour, eggs, cabbage, tenkasu (deep-fried batter), and scallions, layering pork or other meat, and frying it.
You can top it with sauce, mayonnaise, aonori (green laver), and bonito flakes as desired.
There are many variations, including cheese, mochi (rice cake), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and seafood such as shrimp and squid.
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
It has a unique style of frying with layers of ingredients.
First, the the batter is fried thinly, then cabbage, bean sprouts, noodles (yakisoba or udon noddles), meat, and eggs are layered on top in that order.
When cooked, it is seasoned with sauce.
Modernyaki (pancake wrapped with noodles)
Yakisoba or udon noodles are wrapped in Kansai-style okonomiyaki dough.
It is similar to the Hiroshima-style, but the batter and noodles are fried together.
Negiyaki (scallion pancake)
It uses a large amount of green onions.
Scallions and meat are the main ingredients with very little batter used for baking.
Monjayaki (pan-fried batter)
This dish originated in downtown Tokyo.
It is made with a liquid batter mixed with ingredients such as cabbage, seafood, and meat and cooked on a griddle to a soggy texture.
It is eaten with a special scraper.
How to make and eat Okonomiyaki
How to make and eat general Kansai-style okonomiyaki is explained below.
Some restaurants offer pre-made okonomiyaki, while others let customers mix the provided batter and ingredients and cook it themselves.
First, prepare the batter.
Prepare it by mixing flour, water or broth, and eggs in a bowl.
When mixing the batter, the secret to creating a fluffy texture is to mix lightly as if you are incorporating air into it.
Next, add the ingredients.
Add finely chopped cabbage, green onion, tenkasu (tempura flakes), and other ingredients to the batter and mix.
Mix lightly.
Some restaurants let you do the remaining steps yourself.
Fry the batter and ingredients.
Heat a large griddle thoroughly and pour oil onto it, then grease the entire griddle with a special spatula or brush.
Pour the mixed batter and ingredients onto the griddle to form a circle.
Place pork belly on top and fry slowly.
Flip over the okonomiyaki using two spatulas wedged between the griddle and the okonomiyaki.
Skilled chefs can flip it without it crumbling.
Fry until the surface is crispy and the inside is chewy.
Top the cooked okonomiyaki on the griddle with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, green laver, and bonito flakes in order.
Sauce especially for okonomiyaki is used and is characterized by its rich, salty-sweet flavor.
It is made from tomatoes, vegetables, fruits, and spices.
Some types of mayonnaise are made with mustard and other ingredients, and are sold in a special container that allows mayonnaise to be squeezed thinly.
Finally, cut the okonomiyaki into pieces with a spatula and serve it on a plate.
Eat it while it is still hot, using chopsticks to cut it into pieces.
Some restaurants let customers eat okonomiyaki directly from the griddle instead of serving it on a plate.
People’s reaction when eating
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