Okonomi-yaki

Posted February 4th, 2009 in Food

Here is another Osaka food recipe.  After posting about Takoyaki , many people actually asked me “we don’t have a Takoyaki grill plate, but really want to try making them!”.  Indeed.  People shouldn’t have this special grilling plate at home.  As I said earlier, it’s pretty difficult to find one of those in Perth or elsewhere outside Japan.  Then, I thought I should post a recipe of Okonomi-yaki.  Okonomi-yaki uses almost same ingredients as Takoyaki, and you don’t need any special equipments to cook.  Here is the recipe.

<Okonomi-yaki> make 4

  • 1/4 small cabbage
  • 2~3 tbs red ginger
  • 1 tsp Dashi powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 3~5 tsp plain flour
  • 1/4 cup water
   
<Sauce> (same as Takoyaki)
  • 3 tbs Worcester sauce
  • 3 tbs tomato ketchup (tomato sauce)
  • 3 tsp oyster sauce
  • 3 tsp honey
   
<To Decorate>
  • Japanese mayonnaise 
  • ao-nori (green laver)
  • bonito flakes
   
  1. Chop up cabbage.  Mix all the ingredients shown above “sauce” in a bowl.  Add your favorite meat or seafood. 
  2. Heat up a frying pan, and pour the mixture. (about 1 ladle)  Once the bottom is set and colored, turn it over by using 2 spatulas.  The trick in turning it over is the timing and speed.  Make sure that one side is completely cooked, or it will break apart while you are flipping it over. 
  3. Cook another side.  Place in a plate and decorate with sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes and ano-nori.
  
   
I made 3 kinds of Okonomi-yaki: 
   
* Thinly sliced pork (available from Asian grocery shops or Asian butcheries)
* Nori Seaweed

 

* Seafood

 

How can I explain the taste of freshly cooked Okonomi-yaki?!  They tasted awesome!  Great flavor, easy to make, cheap ingredients… what can we ask more?  Goes well with beer in summer too.

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10 Comments on “Okonomi-yaki”

  1. 1 Yutsuki said at 12:43 pm on February 6th, 2009:

    One of my most favorite food is Okonomi-yaki!!
    My mom’s recipe is the best..I believe(^^)
    She uses a lot of eggs and yamaimo(a kind of yam) that should be grated and adds just a pinch of flour.
    I wanna you to try yamaimo if you can get it there!

    I also recommend that you use karashi(mustard)-mayonnaise.
    It goes very well with the sauce♪

  2. 2 umepontarou said at 1:49 pm on February 6th, 2009:

    Yutsuki
    Wow your mom’s recipe sounds very delicious! You live in Osaka, so you eat Okonomi-yaki quite often at home?
    My mom never made Okonomi-yaki at home. Well, maybe 2~3 times in my life, actually. For me, Okonomi-yaki is a type of food we eat outside, or at festivals.

    I just found out that my company sells frozen Tororo (yamaimo), so I will try making with it next time.

    Karashi mayo… ummm sound delish! (>v<)

  3. 3 goma-apple said at 11:57 am on February 7th, 2009:

    Hello!\(^o^)/
    First, thank you for visiting my homepage.
    Your comment gives me great “happy” surprise!(>U<)

    My mom is very good at making Okonomiyaki.
    In fact she spent all of her childhood in Hyogo and Osaka.
    She often made okonomiyaki as a snack.
    I grew up in Kansai,too, but I can’t believe the enthusiasm for “Konamon” of kansai people…

    Now Iive in Kanto so I really miss “Okonomiyaki”.
    Your Okonomiyaki reminds me of my “Kansai-spirit”;I want to eat something with plenty sauce!!

    Your nori-seaweed Okonomiyaki seems fresh to me.
    I’ll try it when I buy delicious yams.

    Thank you for nice recipes!(^o^)

  4. 4 umepontarou said at 1:13 pm on February 8th, 2009:

    goma-apple,
    Thanks for your comment :)

    >Now Iive in Kanto so I really miss “Okonomiyaki”.
    Do you get Okonomi-yaki in Kanto too? or the taste is different??

    >Thank you for nice recipes!(^o^)
    Your welcome! Hope you enjoy it ***

  5. 5 Bishonencam said at 11:57 am on May 16th, 2009:

    I first tried okonomiyaki back when I first went to Japan in 1997. It was so good and it was unlike any Japanese food I had heard of (back then sushi was only just becoming popular in Perth… a bit old-fashioned perhaps?) so it came as a total surprize when I tried it.
    When I came back to Australia, I went to all the japanese restaurants I could find and asked if they do Okonomiyaki…
    “We only do Kastu, noodles and Sushi!” they all said.
    I was depressed.
    So I forgot about Okonomiyaki for years until I went back to Japan and went to an Okonomiyaki restaurant, which re-ignited my passion for okonomiyaki!
    Even though I still can’t find anyone in Perth who makes it, I just make it myself now ^_^
    I usually make it huge (it takes up the whole pan!) as that’s how I first saw it made. Plus I’m a total pig! (Kuishinbou! :P)
    But I like this recipe as the Okonomiyaki are much smaller and they look cute and tasty.
    After seeing this I might try this recipe today or tomorrow (with ribs!…. yeah, that’s the pig thing again!)

  6. 6 missfattyfoodie said at 1:03 pm on September 8th, 2009:

    i will make these very soon! thank you for sharing the recipe

  7. 7 Mica said at 8:12 pm on October 27th, 2009:

    Your okonomiyaki sounds sooo delicious! I will definitely try this sometime soon and get back to you! I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will come out as delicious and visually appetizing as what you did!

    I love Japanese food!

  8. 8 umepontarou said at 1:59 pm on October 28th, 2009:

    Bishonencam,

    Okonomiyaki with ribs… sound interesting ! :)
    Yes it’s shame that there is no okonomiyaki restaurant in Perth…. we have to make by ourselves.

  9. 9 umepontarou said at 2:00 pm on October 28th, 2009:

    missfattyfoodie

    Enjoy okonomiyaki ~ :)

  10. 10 umepontarou said at 2:00 pm on October 28th, 2009:

    Mica,

    I hope you enjoyed it.

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