The dish to eat in Osaka · Japan

Okonomiyaki

Name: Osaka-style okonomiyaki
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 large pancakes
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: For the batter: 3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour (or okonomiyaki flour); 1/2 cup (120 ml) dashi, cold; 2 eggs; 2 oz (55 g) nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam), peeled and finely grated (optional, for fluffiness); 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar; 4 cups (300 g) green cabbage, finely chopped (not shredded long); 2 scallions, sliced; 2 tbsp tenkasu (tempura crumbs) or crushed rice crackers; 2 tbsp pickled red ginger (beni shoga), chopped; 6 thin slices pork belly (about 4 oz / 115 g); 1 tbsp neutral oil; To top: okonomiyaki sauce (or 3 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp Worcestershire, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar), Kewpie mayonnaise, aonori (seaweed powder), katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Photo: Joli Rumi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

A savory griddle pancake of cabbage and batter with pork belly, brushed with sauce and mayo and topped with bonito and seaweed.

Osaka is kuidaore, the city that eats until it drops, and okonomiyaki, made on a hot plate in front of you, is its everyday feast.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Osaka

Mizuno
Dotonbori
Order: Yamaimo-yaki, made with grated mountain yam and almost no flour
A family shop since 1945 with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a long line.
Open in Maps
Okonomiyaki Kiji
Takimi Koji, basement of the Umeda Sky Building
Order: The mix (pork, squid, beef) and the modan-yaki with noodles
A tiny counter beloved by locals for its fluffy, generous pancakes.
Open in Maps
Fukutaro
Sennichimae, Namba
Order: Pork okonomiyaki and the negiyaki (scallion pancake)
A busy Namba shop known for crisp edges and its scallion pancake.
Open in Maps

All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best okonomiyaki in Osaka, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Osaka-style okonomiyaki

Serves 2 large pancakesTime 40 min

Osaka-style means everything is mixed together (Hiroshima layers it). Grated nagaimo yam makes it fluffy. Cook gently so the middle steams through while the outside browns.

Pans and tools

Large nonstick or cast-iron skillet, or electric griddle
Two wide spatulas
Grater

You’ll need

For the batter: 3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour (or okonomiyaki flour)
1/2 cup (120 ml) dashi, cold
2 eggs
2 oz (55 g) nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam), peeled and finely grated (optional, for fluffiness)
1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar
4 cups (300 g) green cabbage, finely chopped (not shredded long)
2 scallions, sliced
2 tbsp tenkasu (tempura crumbs) or crushed rice crackers
2 tbsp pickled red ginger (beni shoga), chopped
6 thin slices pork belly (about 4 oz / 115 g)
1 tbsp neutral oil
To top: okonomiyaki sauce (or 3 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp Worcestershire, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar), Kewpie mayonnaise, aonori (seaweed powder), katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Steps

Whisk the flour, dashi, salt, sugar and grated nagaimo until smooth. Rest 15 minutes (or up to an hour in the fridge).
Just before cooking, beat the eggs into the batter, then fold in the cabbage, scallions, tenkasu and red ginger. Mix gently but well: it should be mostly cabbage held together with batter.
Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet (or a griddle) over medium heat and add the oil. Spoon in half the mixture and shape it into a round about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Do not press it down.
Lay 3 slices of pork belly on top. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown.
Flip it with two wide spatulas in one confident movement. Cook 4 to 5 minutes more, pork side down, until the pork is crisp.
Flip once more so the pork is on top, cook 2 minutes, and press lightly: it should feel springy, not wet.
Brush with okonomiyaki sauce, zigzag with mayonnaise, and sprinkle with aonori and a big pinch of bonito flakes (they'll dance in the heat). Cut into wedges and eat from the pan.

Chef’s tips

Chop the cabbage into small pieces; long shreds make the pancake fall apart.

Don't press it with the spatula: you squeeze out the air that makes it fluffy.

For modan-yaki, cook a portion of yakisoba noodles on the griddle and set the pancake on top before the last flip.

Contains: Wheat, egg, fish, soy.

Save to my recipes