Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Learn to Make Okonomiyaki, Savory Japanese Pancakes

Sam Slaughter
By

Pancakes are made, in some form, the world over. Whether they are fluffy circles of dough covered in syrup (or chocolate chips) like we have here in the states, stuff with savory or sweet items in the form or a crepe, or countless other iterations, pancakes are everywhere.

One type of pancake we are absolutely in love with is okonomiyaki, a savory pancake from Japan.

Related Videos

“Okonomi means ‘whatever you want,’ meaning that the chef may add whatever ingredients he/she wants,” says Chef Hiro Mitsui of Washington DC’s Ramen by Uzu, who contributed the recipe below.

The delicious recipe he sent us includes cabbage, scallions, pickled red ginger, and pork belly. Check it out.

Osaka Okonomiyaki

Osaka Okonomiyaki Recipe Ramen by Uzu
Rey Lopez

“This is a recipe for a basic home-cooked Osaka-style okonomiyaki. In addition to pork belly, common fillings include: tomato and cheese; oysters; squid; or shrimp. This recipe makes approximately 1 serving of okonomiyaki,” says Mitsui.

Ingredients:

Batter

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/8 cup water
  • .25 tsp Hondashi
  • .25 cup grated nagaimo (adds fluffiness), optional

Filling

  • 1 stuffed cup very finely-sliced green cabbage
  • 1 tbsp chopped pickled red ginger
  • 1 stalk chopped scallions
  • 1 tbsp fried tempura crisps
  • 2 slices per pancake thin-sliced pork belly

Topping

  • .25-.5 cup Otafuku okonomiyaki sauce (depending on preference)
  • Kewpie mayonnaise, according to preference
  • 1 pinch bonito flakes
  • A few shakes Ao-nori
  • A few shakes Togarashi

Method

  1. Mix all batter ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth.
  2. Except for the pork belly, slowly combine the filling with the batter. Mix until well incorporated.
  3. Heat the pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
  4. Drop a small amount of batter onto the pan to test the heat. If the batter fries, it is hot enough. Turn the heat down to medium.
  5. Once the pan is ready, scoop 1 cup of batter in the pan. Place 2 slices of pork belly on top. Cover the pan with a lid. Wait 3-4 minutes.
  6. Use a spatula to lift one corner of the pancake. Wait until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown to turn it over.
  7. Once you flip the pancake, cover the pan and cook it for approximately 4 more minutes. Then take the lid off and cook it for 2 more minutes.
  8. Use a spatula to lift one corner of the pancake. Wait until the pork belly is cooked and the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.
  9. Poke the center of the pancake. If the batter runs out, cook the pancake with the lid on top for 1-2 more minutes. Repeat this step until no more batter emerges.
  10. Use a spatula to place the pancake on a plate. Cover the pancake with okonomiyaki sauce. Use Kewpie mayonnaise to draw a design on top of the okonomiyaki sauce. Shake ao-nori and togarashi over the pancake. Add one pinch of bonito flakes on top.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
How to make your own cold brew coffee at home (no, it isn’t just iced coffee)
Cold brew coffee: Making this popular drink is easier than you think it is
international coffee drinks that arent dalgona cold brew ice

I grew up in a house where iced coffee was made by pouring the hours-old coffee pot leftovers over a glass of ice. Maybe a little milk was added, or, if you were feeling extra fancy, a splash of flavored creamer. Embarrassingly far into adulthood (before Keurig came along and cramped my style), that's how I made my "cold brew." For years, this was how I drank my warm-weather coffee. But oh, did I have it wrong.
In case you're unaware, cold brew, real cold brew, is made using an entirely different method than hot coffee. While hot coffee is generally made by running hot water through finely-ground coffee beans, cold brew is made more like our grandmothers made sun tea - set to steep for a while, becoming flavorful and delicious on its own with nothing added but love, water, and time.
The result is a much smoother, silkier, bolder and more flavorful cup of morning magic. When coffee is steeped this way, much of the bitterness smooths to be much gentler on the palette, allowing you to really taste the flavor of the beans in a whole new way. So how do you make cold brew at home?
There are plenty of gizmos out there, like cold brew coffee makers, jugs, and infusers, but there's no need for these. Like many needless kitchen tools, these accessories end up being shoved into the back of the pantry, never to be seen again. Our favorite method of making cold brew coffee involves nothing more than a good old-fashioned French press.

How to make cold brew coffee

Read more
How to make the perfect breakfast burrito at home
The breakfast burrito: Everyone's favorite grab-and-go breakfast is easier to make than you think
breakfast burrito recipe 5

Is there anyone who doesn't love a good, hearty breakfast burrito? These satisfying little bundles are an easy, delicious, hearty yet simple way to start any day. Or, for that matter, end any day. Breakfast burritos make for a divine dinner that absolutely everyone, including the kids, will love.

As popular as they are, though, breakfast burritos aren't necessarily something we often think to make for ourselves. We usually think of them as a grab-one-with-your-morning-latte-at-the-corner-store kind of food. But if you know how to make a breakfast burrito, you possess a skill that will make you pretty popular. And you'll probably save a ton when you're not dropping six bucks every morning for the corner store version.

Read more
Wait, they made a pink pineapple?
Want something a little different? Look no further than the pink pineapple, an actual thing
A halved pinkglow pineapple.

The best Valentine's Day gift available might just be a pink pineapple. That's right, the tropical fruit long associated with candy-sweet yellow flesh now comes in pink. You can thank the folks at Del Monte for the fruit, which alleges to be juicier and sweeter than traditional pineapple.

Dubbed the jewel of the jungle, this relatively rare breed of pineapple hails from the jungles of Costa Rica. It's a stunning specimen, reminiscent of grapefruit in terms of color and great for snacking or mixing into a drink (after all, in the canon of good tiki drinks, pineapple is king).

Read more