Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savory Pancake)

Hello! I am glad you’re here today! I have a really wonderful Japanese Recipe for you to try. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake. Made with a pancake-like batter, eggs and loaded with vegetables, Okonomiyaki is like a cross between a frittata and a vegetable fritter. What sets Okonomiyaki apart are the toppings, the cooked pancake is brushed with Okonomiyaki sauce and drizzled with mayonnaise; then sprinkled with green onions, togarashi and thin strips of nori. Let’s get to it!

What is Okonomiyaki?

Okonomiyaki is a popular street food in Japan. The last time I had it was years ago at a Japanese Street fair in San Francisco. Then, I had it filled with vegetables and octopus, which is common. There are two styles: Hiroshima-style with the ingredients layered into the pancake; and Osaka-style, where the ingredients are mixed into the batter. We are making the latter today, and we are using only vegetables in the filling.

I am making modifications to the traditional style because some of the ingredients are not widely available in the States. Today’s recipe is based on a recipe from Just One Cookbook, which is very thorough and gives excellent substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients.

Okonomiyaki Batter

We will start with the batter, since we have to let it sit in the fridge for an hour. One of the modifications we are making is in the batter. In lieu of using the Japanese Mountain Yam (yamaimo) which gives the pancake a fluffy texture, we are using 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder for the lift. Otherwise, we have flour, a little sugar, kosher salt and 1 cup of dashi broth.

For the dashi broth, I am using a dashi sachet from On the Umami. It’s really simple, you can brew it like tea, letting it steep in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, kosher salt, sugar, baking powder and dashi broth to make a savory pancake batter. Cover the batter and place in the fridge for one hour. We can prep the rest of the ingredients.

Okonomiyaki Sauce

Now we will make the Okonomiyaki Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce and sugar. Set that aside. If you have Kewpie Japanese Mayo, you’re ahead of the game! I don’t have Kewpie mayo, so I am using American mayonnaise. I want the end result to be a thin drizzle of mayo, so I transferred about a tablespoon of mayo to a zipperlock bag. Squeeze the mayo down to one corner and we will use this like a pastry bag. You can set that aside, we will snip the tip of the bag when we’re ready to use it.

Okonomiyaki Vegetable Filling

Our vegetable filling is cabbage and mushrooms. I am going to use 3/4 of a small, 1 pound head of cabbage and about 4 ounces of mixed mushrooms. We want to dice everything pretty small. Start with quartering the cabbage and slicing off the core. Then cut each quarter into strips, then dice the strips. Place the diced cabbage in a large bowl and set aside.

Roughly dice the mushrooms. Then we have 4 large eggs and 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs. The panko is a substitute for tempura scraps. Which is literally that, bits of fried tempura batter. This is a commonly found ingredient in Japan, but not so much here. The panko is not quite the same, but it works out well.

After an hour in the fridge, pull out the batter. We are ready to add the rest of the ingredients.

Whisk the eggs and panko into the batter. Then stir in the chopped mushrooms. Add about 1/3 of the cabbage at a time, stirring between each addition.

The mixture will look almost like cabbage slaw.

Cooking the Okonomiyaki

Get a 12-inch nonstick skillet heating over medium heat. Drizzle in a little grapeseed oil. When the oil is shimmery, use a 1-cup measuring cup to scoop one cup of the Okonomiyaki batter into the pan. Use the bottom of the measuring cup to slightly flatten and spread the batter to create a pancake about 3/4 of an inch thick.

Use a silicone spatula to make the edges tidy. Then cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

Use two non-stick safe spatulas to flip the pancake over and cover again, cooking for another 4-5 minutes, until the other side is golden brown.

You can transfer the Okonomiyaki to a sheet pan and place in a warm oven while you make the rest of the pancakes. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter. You should get about 6-8 pancakes.

How to Finish the Okonomiyaki

The finishing touches and presentation really make Okonomiyaki special. Place one pancake on a plate. Brush a thin layer of the Okonomiyaki sauce on the top of the pancake. Then, make a small snip in the corner of the mayo pastry bag and drizzle a zigzag of mayo on top. Do a second zigzag in the opposite direction to make a grid-like pattern.

Now you can add more toppings as you like. I have togarashi, thin nori strips and sliced green onions.

It might sound strange or intimidating, but Okonomiyaki is basically a savory vegetable fritter. It has a Japanese flavor because we used dashi in the batter, but overall it’s a very mild-tasting savory pancake. For my version, it’s the toppings that really bring the Japanese flavors. The Okonomiyaki Sauce is sweet and savory, of course the mayo adds tangy richness; the togarashi adds a little spiciness and the nori is briny. Very fresh, very light, this Okonomiyaki is super delicious and healthy!

I hope you give this recipe a try. I also hope that if you’re intrigued by Japanese cuisine, you try a few of my other recipes, like Agedashi Tofu, or Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowls. Take care and be well! xo Kelly

Key Equipment and Ingredient

Print Recipe

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savory Pancake)

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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Breakfast, Brunch, Snack, Side Dish, Dinner – Japanese

By Adapted from Just One Cookbook – Serves: Makes 6-8 Pancakes

Prep Time: 20 Minutes, plus one hour resting time – Cooking Time: ~30 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour, , plus one hour resting time

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake, like a cross between a vegetable fritter and a frittata. Loaded with cabbage and mushrooms.

Ingredients

• Okonomiyaki Batter
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp. Diamond Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 cup Dashi Broth
• Okonomiyaki Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
• 2 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
• 4 tbsp. Ketchup
• 3.5 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• Okonomiyaki Filling
• 4 Large Eggs
• 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 Small Head Green Cabbage, about 1 lb., diced
• 4-6 oz. Mushrooms, coarsely diced
• Grapeseed or Vegetable oil, for cooking
• Okonomiyaki Toppings
• Okonomiyaki Sauce
• Kewpie or American Mayonnaise
• Nori, sliced into matchstick strips
• Sliced Green Onions
• Togarashi Seasoning

Instructions

Okonomiyaki Batter

1

Brew the dashi broth by boiling water and then pour 1 cup of the boiling water into a heat-safe measuring cup and let the dash sachet steep in the boiling water for 3-5 minutes.

2

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, kosher salt, sugar, baking powder and dashi broth to make a savory pancake batter. Cover the batter and place in the fridge for one hour.

Okonomiyaki Sauce

3

In a small bowl, whisk together Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce and sugar. Set that aside.

4

Transfer about a tablespoon of mayonnaise to a zipperlock bag. Squeeze the mayo down to one corner and we will use this like a pastry bag. You can set that aside, we will snip the tip of the bag when we're ready to use it.

Okonomiyaki Filling

5

After the batter has rested for an hour in the fridge, whisk the eggs and panko into the batter.

6

Then stir in the chopped mushrooms.

7

Add about 1/3 of the cabbage at a time, stirring between each addition.

8

The mixture will look almost like cabbage slaw.

To Cook the Okonomiyaki

9

Get a 12-inch nonstick skillet heating over medium heat. Drizzle in a little grapeseed or vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmery, use a 1-cup measuring cup to scoop one cup of the Okonomiyaki batter into the pan. Use the bottom of the measuring cup to slightly flatten and spread the batter to create a pancake about 3/4 of an inch thick.

10

Use a silicone spatula to make the edges tidy. Then cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

11

Use two non-stick safe spatulas to flip the pancake over and cover again, cooking for another 4-5 minutes, until the other side is golden brown.

12

You can transfer the Okonomiyaki to a sheet pan and place in a warm oven while you make the rest of the pancakes. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter. You should get about 6-8 pancakes.

To Serve the Okonomiyaki

13

Place one pancake on a plate. Brush a thin layer of the Okonomiyaki sauce on the top of the pancake. Then, make a small snip in the corner of the mayo pastry bag and drizzle a zigzag of mayo on top. If you like mayo, do a second zigzag in the opposite direction to make a grid-like pattern.

14

Now you can add more toppings as you like: sprinkle on thin nori strips, sliced green onions and togarashi.

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