Over the years, I’ve tried different versions of this dish. There are some things I’d still like to try: squid, kimchi, mochi, cheese…
In the past, I’ve made Chinese green onion pancakes, but it will be interesting to try negiyaki (a version of okonomiyaki made with onions), or the Korean pancakes called pajeon.
I’d also like to try Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki where the ingredients are layered rather than mixed, and also often topped with yakisoba or udon and a fried egg.
Okonomiyaki
serves 2
page 350
Sauce:
¼ cup tomato ketchup
1 ½ Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon smooth French mustard
2 Tablespoons mirin
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon shoyu
In a small saucepan, combine these ingredients. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a boil, then lower heat and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.Batter:
1 cup Japanese cake flour
1 cup water or dashi
½ teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons grated yama-imo, or 2 Tablespoons potato starch
Mix the batter in a suitable bowl. Divide into 2 bowls.
Filling:
2-3 ounces beef steak, cut into small thin slices
2-3 ounces pork loin, cut into small thin slices
6 peeled and deveined shrimp, cut in half lenthwise
An equal amount of shredded cabbage to the meats, 1/8 head? (I used my mandolin to make a finely slicedvegetable.)
¼ cup thin sliced green onions
2 Tablespoons pickled ginger
2 eggs
Put equal amounts of the ingredients (or your choice) into the bowls with the batter. Make a depression in the stuff and add 1 egg to each bowl. Mix the ingredients of one bowl. (You will cook up the 2nd bowl after you eat the first.)
Cooking:
2 to 3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
Heat a skillet over medium heat, add a bit of oil, and spread it around with a paper towel. Pour the contents of one bowl in and shape it into a circle about 7″ across. Cook until the bottom is golden. Use 2 spatulas to turn the pancake and press to flatten. Cook until it’s browned. Use a pastry brush to spread the sauce on the pancake. Sometimes people also add mayonnaise.
Garnish:
2 Tablespoons toasted and crumbled nori
¼ cup katsouobushi (bonito flakes)
Click on the handles above to see details about ingredients in the sauce.
≥^!^≤ Okonomikayi March 2008 ≥^!^≤
≥^!^≤ Okonomiyaki August 2009 ≥^!^≤
≥^!^≤ Okonomiyaki March 2009 ≥^!^≤
Tess's Japanese Kitchen 
Mmmmm! I’ve wanted to try these for a while & marked a few recipes, but they always just say “top with okonomiyaki sauce”, like the store-bought kind. I doubt I would be able to find that too easily, so I’m so happy to see directions for the sauce!
Hi Tiffany!
Yes, the recipe here (from Hiroko Shimbo, The Japanese Kitchen) is really easy and very good.
I’m curious: I checked out your blog and see that you are interested in ambigrams. Did you post a comment to my blog some time ago? Well, I’m sure lots of people are interested in ambigrams (as I am, yes! VERY much), but it may have been someone else.
I especially like this abigram of yours: http://pmthreads.livejournal.com/206392.html
A very beautiful turtle 10,000 years of life symbol in Japan.
A friend just sent me this:
http://www.bento.com/fexp-oroshi.html
so beautiful!
as is your ambigram.
Hey Tess, It’s been a long time since I’ve responded to your posts! I adore Kushiyaki, and the bacon and okra sounds lovely!. In Japan, I indulged in a lot of Yakitori. Chicken skin done properly is wonderful!
Anyway, I am one of those people who absolutely craves Okonomiyaki! Here in LA, we used to have restaurants that specialized in “Japanese Pizza”, but it’s hard to find a good Okonomiyaki-ya here. I’ve read over your recipes and comments. I’ve also had the Hiroshima style with the stacking of the ingredients on top. A fried egg is pretty tasty. But mostly, I only know of the Kansai version. I’m just sort of a stickler about a few things. Aonori on top at the end, along with a good sprinkling of katsuobushi, and the red ginger…. is that called Gari shoga? Then a good dollop of Kewpie Mayo. I’m guilty of using the Otafuku Okonomi sauce… I should try to make my own, but I like the “street vendor flavor”. Also, if you can get “Tenkasu”, the pre-made tempura crispy things, they rock. Also the little dried shrimp. I once had a Hiroshima version of squid, corn, and cheese with a hard cooked egg on top. It was massive and too wonderful for words!
karla—
Happy to hear from you! I was wondering where you went! I kept looking for shungiku but my regular store was not selling it this year for nabes.
Gari shoga, yes!
Squid, corn, cheese, yes. and noodles. Next time!!
Tess… I am so sorry… I have just been lurking about in the background while I’ve been finishing up this years ‘teaching gig”! Yama-imo is really important… but I have procured some pre-made Okonomiyaki mixes at the local Mitsuwa. Like I had mentioned earlier, with “street food”, I like to go with the mixes. But when it comes to a good Nabes, just like you, I will hunt everywhere for my Shungiku, and my Nana-negi, and the perfect Shiitake. Your “Sasami no Ume Shiso” was sublime!! You know how to “rock” Yakitori”! Check out your Japanese bacon with the Ocra. Not crisp and thin, but chunky and flavorful. A Japanese bacon Yakitori/Kushiagi triumph!
Funny how work gets in the way of life, isn’t it?
I didn’t think up the bacon okra skewers: it came from http://skewerit.wordpress.com/
(But they were tasty!)
As for the chicken skin, I’m back to none because I made some ramen stock and you know, there just was not much fat on the pork pieces I bought. So, guess I’ll be cooking chicken thighs w/o skins, just so I can save up some more…
I’ve never tried one of these with meat as we have always made it as a vegetarian dish, but I guess I will have to try ! What is great about this is that you can actually put in anything you want in these pancakes (but then of course it will no longer be named Okonomiyaki). Pajeon is very delicious too and I have made this before aswell! ^__^
Seafood is good too.
My garlic chives are growing so I’ll be trying the Korean pancakes soon.