Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake with various fillings and toppings, including meat, seafood, and vegetables. It is a regional specialty in Osaka and can be customized at restaurants. The batter is made with wheat flour, egg, and water or dashi, and is seasoned with soy sauce and mirin. Toppings include pickled ginger, bonito flakes, and mayonnaise. It is sometimes called Japanese pizza.
Okonomiyaki is a large grilled Japanese pancake with various fillings, toppings, and toppings. Fillings can include a combination of chopped vegetables, meats, or seafood. Pickled red ginger and dried bonito flakes are popular condiments. The most common condiments are mayonnaise and a salty, brown okonomiyaki sauce.
The word “okonomiyaki” means “grilled the way you like it”. In an okonomiyaki restaurant, the menu sometimes features a list of specialty combinations. Or, it can offer an ingredient list from which diners can create their own combinations.
This dish is popular throughout Japan, however it is considered a regional specialty in the city of Osaka. The downtown shopping street, called Dotonbori, is lined with okonomiyaki restaurants, where grill chefs whip up these tasty pancakes one after another all day and late into the evening. In some restaurants, griddles are installed in the center of each dining table for tableside preparation.
Okonomiyaki batter is a basic recipe of wheat flour, egg and water. Instead of water, it can be mixed with dashi, a broth made with seaweed and dried fish flakes. The batter can be seasoned with soy sauce and mirin.
A traditional okonomiyaki pancake starts with a large mound of finely shredded white cabbage. The batter can be mixed into the cabbage, or it can be ladled onto the grill and topped with the shredded cabbage. Then the various fillings of meat, fish and vegetables are added. The pancake is browned on one side, sometimes under a domed lid, and then turned brown on the other side.
Meat fillings might include pork, beef, or chicken. Shrimp, scallops and calamari are popular seafood choices. Vegetables can include sliced mushrooms, chopped carrots, or diced green peppers. Minced shallots and minced garlic can also be added for savory flavor.
Two of the most popular toppings for okonomiyaki are beni shoga and katsuo. Beni shoga is bright red, pickled ginger chopped into thin strips. Katsuo is a dried, smoked and bonito fish shaved paper thin. Okonomiyaki can also be topped with yakisoba noodles.
Popular toppings for okonomiyaki include a brand of spicy Japanese mayonnaise called Kewpie and a rich, brown sauce reminiscent of American steak sauce. When the pancake has been browned on both sides, the two toppings are drizzled in a spiral over the top of the pancake. Just like pizza, okonomiyaki is then cut into wedges—in fact, okonomiyaki is sometimes called Japanese pizza.
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