A cross between a savory pancake and an omelette, okonomiyaki is often cooked on a teppan grill in Osaka. This is how we make okonomiyaki at home.
For convenience, you may buy pre-sliced pork belly in Asian groceries that sell meat for hotpots. Thinly sliced pork belly are sold by various names including bacon-cut pork belly, samgyeopsal, sukiyaki-cut or yakiniku-cut pork belly.
As with most pancakes, allowing the batter to rest makes the okonomiyaki fluffier.
Okonomiyaki
Recipe byThere is no standard thickness for okonomiyaki. Choose the thickness you prefer. Note, however, that the thicker the okonomiyaki, the longer the cooking time to ensure that it gets cooked through all the way to the center. You have to balance the length of the cooking time with the stove setting (medium-low, medium or medium-high) so as not to overbrown the outside.
Ingredients
Okonomiyaki batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon rock salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup dashi
- 4 large eggs
- ½ tempura scraps (available in Japanese groceries)
- ¼ cup pickled ginger coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons scallions
- 1 head white cabbage thinly sliced
Okonomiyaki sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon grated garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon grated ginger
To cook the okonomiyaki
- cooking oil
- 250 grams pork belly thinly sliced (see notes after the recipe)
Toppings
- Japanese mayo
- bonito flakes
- aonori (ground dried seaweed)
Instructions
Make the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs and dashi.
- Pour the egg-dashi mixture over the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter rest in the fridge for at least half an hour (see notes after the recipe).
Pork and sauce
- Cut the pork into lengths that will fit on top of your okonomiyaki.
- Make the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients.
Complete the batter
- Take the batter out of the fridge and stir in the tempura scraps, pickled ginger and scallions.
- Stir in the sliced cabbage.
- Divide the okonomiyaki batter into two equal portions.
Cook your okonomiyaki
- Heat a thick-bottomed pan (we used cast iron) and generously coat the bottom with cooking oil.
- Ladle in one portion of the okonomiyaki batter.
- With a spatula, flatten and shape into a disc about three-quarters of an inch thick (see notes after the recipe).
- Arrange half of the pork belly slices on top of the okonomiyaki.
- Cover the pan and cook the okonomiyaki for about five minutes over medium heat or until the underside is nicely browned and crisp.
- Flip the okonomiyaki, cover the pan once more and cook for another four to five minutes.
- Slide the okonomiyaki on a plate.
- Cook the remaining batter and pork belly.
Serve the okonomiyaki
- Drizzle in Japanese mayo and the prepared sauce.
- Sprinkle in the bonito flakes and aonori.
- Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
