Classic Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage and Pork Pancakes) Recipe (2024)

By Kay Chun

Classic Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage and Pork Pancakes) Recipe (1)

Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(666)
Notes
Read community notes

Crisp on the outside and custardy in the center, okonomiyaki are pan-fried Japanese pancakes that traditionally feature a filling of cabbage and pork belly. Here, bacon can be substituted for the pork belly, replaced with shrimp or omitted entirely. You can find the more unusual toppings like hondashi, Kewpie mayonnaise, okonomi sauce and dried bonito at any Japanese market. Similar to Worcestershire sauce but sweeter and less salty, the okonomi sauce is combined with Kewpie mayonnaise and umami-rich bonito flakes for a playful topping. This adaptable recipe is a great way to use up leftovers or other vegetables, such as shredded carrots, bean sprouts or chopped snap peas.

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Ingredients

Yield:Two 7-inch pancakes

  • 1teaspoon hondashi (bonito soup stock) or instant dashi
  • 2large eggs
  • ¾cup all-purpose flour
  • teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼teaspoon baking soda
  • 4cups finely shredded green cabbage (about ½ pound)
  • 1cup thinly sliced scallions (about 5 scallions)
  • 1tablespoon drained pickled red ginger (or finely chopped pickled sushi ginger)
  • ¼cup safflower or canola oil
  • 3ounces sliced pork belly or bacon, cut crosswise into 5-inch pieces
  • Okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise, dried shaved bonito and shredded nori, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

768 calories; 57 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 30 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 790 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Classic Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage and Pork Pancakes) Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    In a large bowl, combine hondashi with 1 cup water and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in eggs until well combined. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk until smooth. Fold in cabbage, scallions and ginger until well incorporated.

  2. In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add half the batter, spreading cabbage mixture into an even 6-inch round about 1-inch thick (resist the urge to push down on the mixture). Arrange half the pork belly over the cabbage, slightly overlapping. Cook over medium-low until pancake is set and golden brown underneath, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and carefully flip pancake by inverting onto a plate then slipping back into the skillet.

  3. Step

    3

    Cook until golden brown on second side, pancake is cooked through in center and pork is lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer pancake, pork side up, onto a large plate. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining oil, batter and pork belly.

  4. Step

    4

    Drizzle pancakes with okonomi sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise, then top with a handful of shaved bonito and nori. Serve warm.

Ratings

4

out of 5

666

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

christine

Okonomi sauce 4 ketchup3 Worcestershire sauce2 oyster sauce1 sugar

Dj

So easy to make your own delicious okonomiyaki sauce. Just look online

Cathy

Really good, don't think too hard about the flipping, cabbage holds it together pretty well. Used 1tsp salt, 3 strips of bacon apiece, halved this easy recipe for okonomiyaki sauce (do not skip!): https://www.justonecookbook.com/okonomiyaki-sauce/

Ashley

Absolutely delicious Osaka style Okonomiyaki. This is the easiest recipe I have found made with ingredients I usually keep around the house. To top it off, it’s exactly what I remember it tasting like in Japan. Thank you for the recipe!

John Minagro

I’ve made them with gluten free flour for someone and honestly couldn’t tell the difference.

Robert

I have a brand new stainless steel plancha. This will be the second meal I cook on it. (Bacon was #1). I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

KB

I made a vegetarian and gluten free version by leaving out the bonito, using a GF flour blend, and using hooray foods veggie bacon. Was really good!! I love making okonomiyaki at home because as a vegetarian who doesn't tolerate wheat I can pretty much never have it at a restaurant.

Fran

Basically, this is just a vegetable omelette with a couple of exotic ingredients. Improvise and develop your own. The trick is to know how to flip it over without breaking it; practice with a potato omelette before buying the fancy stuff.

Sylvia Bernstein

Outstanding recipe! Made as directed, except since we don't eat meat I used sixteen shrimp, cut up. Cooked on a baking steel griddle plate and using two spatulas it wasn't too hard to flip.

Nina

After reading the comments about runniness, I reduced the water by half and it came out great. You will think there’s no way the batter will hold together this amount of vegetable, but it was easy to flip after 8 minutes. Just be sure your heat isn’t too high, or it will get too dark on the bottom… Was too lazy to make the sauce; mixed up some regular mayo with sriracha, and sprinkled some furikake on top. This makes two HUGE pancakes!

Jane Kelley Look

So, what happened? Please tell us!

Chris Carhart

I doubled the recipe and poured the whole thing into a giant skillet, flipping it once. This is impossible to mess up, it came like one big pancake the size of a medium pizza. This recipe is impossible to mess up, a keeper for sure

Kate

A whole cup of water will be way too much. Half it. Also, you don’t need baking powder, baking soda, or salt in the batter. Dashi powder already has salt in it. This recipe from Serious Eats is simpler and works perfectly: https://www.seriouseats.com/okonomiyaki-japanese-pancake-cabbage-recipe

cjon

Made it tonight with this exact recipe, it was delicious! The okonomiyakis I had in Japan were always a little wet on the inside. Reduce the amount of water if you want yours firmer. Flipping wasn’t hard at all, but you need to be patient until the pancake is set, and that definitely took me longer than 8 mins each side. Lastly, you might consider adding slightly less salt if bacon strips are used.

Maureen

Made the following modifications: omitted the pork, used Napa cabbage, added one large shredded carrot, topped with raw scallions. It's hard to believe something that tastes this good took less than a half hour to make. The hondashi really boosts the flavor.

jfb

Used onion, fresh ginger. Better than bullion instead of dashiMade sauce from3 T katsup2T worstershire2T soy sauce1T honeyKewpie mayo on topSalty

Good but salty

Turned out good but too salty, I would reduce salt next time or omit it.

David C

Have made this several times now and flipping has always been something of a challenge. This time I reduced the dashi to half a cup and added a third egg, making it set up a little better before the flip. Then heated a second, slightly larger non-stick pan, placed it over the first and then inverted them. Worked great, and since there was bacon covering the now-bottom half, no additional oil was needed.

Donata

Used 4 eggs and added chopped shrimp to batter

Donata

Used 4 eggs and added chopped shrimp to batter

EllieNYC

Very delicious! There is too much liquid. The batter ran to the bottom of the pancake and left the other side a bit bereft of coating when flipped. Put the finished pancake in the air fryer to crisp up a bit.

EllieNYC

Can this be made in a waffle iron?

Michelle

This recipe was delicious. Brought back wonderful memories of our trip to Japan. I followed the recipe exactly and it worked out very well. I would probably remove the salt next time. I can’t imagine trying to flip it if it was any larger.

mdurphy

Thanks Christine for the sauce recipe; it was good. One thing about technique that should be emphasized to those of us who might not be thinking ahead too clearly, or are impatient: make sure the eggs are completely set on top before flipping. I pushed myself to get things on the table for a dinner party and made a mess. It got patched together OK, but not a good look for the chef.

Michelle K

I’ve made this before with bacon. Loved it but it felt a little too rich. This time I made it with prosciutto, yes, I know. But wow! It tasted less greasy and so, big YES. I’m probably gonna do the same next time. Delicious.

fog

Flour 110gWater 120gCabbage 400gPlus de gingembreAugment batter by 1.5x if using half cabbage head (=~1 pound cabbage)

Nancy

Excellent! Made with shrimp. Bought Okonomi sauce at our local Japanese everything store.

S

We made this last night and it was not very successful. Overall too salty and rich. I did use napa cabbage so it might have been a bit overcooked. I wouldn't try this version again. Maybe without the bacon?

Camille Dumas

The name means "how you want it" (plus a lot of cabbage and less pancake batter than you'd expect). It is a fried cake with usually a BBQ type sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise, which is now in regular stores - plus meat, seafood, other vegetables, bonito shavings. I've put burgers, pickles and burger sauce. But it's closer to freeform deep dish pizza or casserole than omelette. Flipping can indeed be hard! Do whatever you need to keep it together, but it'll still be DELICIOUS food if it breaks.

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Classic Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage and Pork Pancakes) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a traditional okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a popular pan-fried dish that consists of batter and cabbage. Selected toppings and ingredients are added which can vary greatly (anything from meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese). This variability is reflected in the dish's name; "okonomi" literally means "to one's liking".

What are the two types of okonomiyaki? ›

There are two significantly different types of Okonomiyaki. First, the Kansai or Osaka style, in which the ingredients are all mixed into a batter and then grilled. Second, the Hiroshima style, in which a small crepe-like pancake is grilled and then other ingredients are layered on top.

Which cabbage is best for okonomiyaki? ›

Nappa cabbage has a more prounounced flavor and softer texture while round cabbage has crunchy neutral flavor and texture. But you can throw whatever you want in Okonomiyaki. There is no rule for that, it just ingredients mixed with batter finished with the typical sauce.

Does okonomiyaki contain pork? ›

The batter is made of flour, grated nagaimo (a long type of yam), dashi or water, eggs, shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (usually thinly sliced pork belly or American bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, konjac, mochi, or cheese.

What are Japanese pancakes called? ›

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)

What is the difference between Osaka and Hiroshima okonomiyaki? ›

In Osaka style okonomiyaki, all of the ingredients are mixed together and cooked together. In Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, all of the ingredients are layered almost like a cake. Soba or udon noodles are also added to Hiroshima-yaki in another layer as well. (Although they do add noodles to okonomiyaki in Osaka.

What kind of yam is used in okonomiyaki? ›

Yamaimo is Japanese mountain yam, a long root vegetable with thin, light brown skin and a slippery internal texture. (It can be omitted.) Hondashi is granulated dashi powder. (Water can be used in its place.)

How do Japanese eat okonomiyaki? ›

When the okonomiyaki is ready, it is served sizzling on the hot iron plate. You eat the okonomiyaki from the hot iron plate, cutting and dividing it into bite-sized pieces with a spatula called a hera. Local people eat directly from the hera, but you can also use chopsticks and eat from a plate.

What is the difference between monja and okonomiyaki? ›

Monjayaki has some basic similarities to okonomiyaki, with one important difference: Instead of eggs and flour, it's made with a special runny dashi batter. Also unlike okonomiyaki, monjayaki never quite comes together like a pancake.

How to slice cabbage for okonomiyaki? ›

How to make Okonomiyaki. 1. Cut the ½ cabbage down the middle lengthways and discard the core. Then slice into very thin strips.

What kind of cabbage do Japanese eat? ›

Green cabbage and Chinese cabbage are commonly used in Japanese cooking. Red cabbage is also used, though it's not quite as common as other varieties of cabbage. In Japan, cabbage is a main ingredient in healthy recipes that are low cost. It's also a main ingredient in Japanese comfort food like okonomiyaki.

What is the cousin of okonomiyaki? ›

Hiroshimayaki. A close cousin to okonomiyaki is hiroshimayaki, or Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Although the ingredients are similar, the cooking process for hiroshimayaki is quite different.

What is that flaky stuff on okonomiyaki? ›

Katsuobushi (Dried Bonito Flakes) – Katsuobushi is shaved flakes of fermented and smoked bonito and these flakes are super paper-thin! It's a super umami-rich ingredient that's used for making dashi (Japanese soup stock). When you sprinkle them on top of the okonomiyaki, they dance along with the steam!

What is a substitute for Japanese yam in okonomiyaki? ›

If you find it impossible to get your hands on Japanese Mountain Yams (Yamaimo), they can be substituted by White Rice Flour, but then your Okonomiyaki will in fact turn into Korean Pancakes instead. Perhaps just check a normal Okonomiyaki recipe, and if you are gluten intolerant, keep looking for those Mountain Yams.

What is a fun fact about okonomiyaki? ›

The word "okonomiyaki" is derived from "okonomi" meaning "as you like" and "yaki" meaning "grilled. It's commonly referred to as being a Japanese pancake. Accurate to its name, okonomiyaki can be served with a variety of toppings which include everything from meat and seafood to vegetables and cheese.

What is modern okonomiyaki? ›

Modan-yaki is when okonomiyaki has noodles included as a layer. The noodles used are either yakisoba or udon noodles, and are cooked inside the okonomiyaki, in addition to the cut up pieces of proteins and vegetables.

What's the difference between okonomiyaki and negiyaki? ›

There's one main difference between negiyaki and standard okonomiyaki; there's no cabbage in this option. Instead, the cabbage is swapped with green onion. You'll have a much stronger onion flavor, though your pancakes will be equally delicious.

What is the difference between monjayaki and okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki takes on a thick pancake-like shape and can even be cut into slices. On the contrary, monjayaki is characterized by a nearly liquid batter that needs to be scooped up with a small spatula when eaten. This has to do with the amount of water mixed in with the flour.

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