I’ve been somewhat obsessed with Okonomiyaki for a while now. Anyone who has tried it will likely share in that obsession (as proven by many reddit threads I researched before setting out to make this). It’s generally a love at first bite scenario and with good reason. The smoky, savory and crunchy cabbage dish was something that was first brought to my attention maybe a decade or so ago. I’ll admit that watching the process of it being made for the first time didn’t particularly leave me in awe. Some chopped cabbage, a thick batter and some seemingly odd kitchen sink-esque ingredients. But after tasting it, drenched in Otafuku Okonomiyaki Sauce and Kewpie Mayo with the trademark Katsuobushi flakes dancing in the breeze on top and crispy pork belly lining the bottom, I realized what a fool I had been in ever doubting the deliciousness of this magical dish. And it’s so easy to make at home. In fact, after revisiting it over my weekend, I kicked myself for not making it more often over the last few years.
Upon a quick search, I’m told by the all powerful internet that its name essentially translates to “grilled as you like it,” which now makes sense given the seemingly mish-mashed ingredients I had seen in a few iterations. After further internet reconnaissance, I found that many people who cook this on a regular basis actually encourage exploration through additions and flourishes to make each persons recipe something unique to their own taste. It’s somewhat fun for Okonomiyaki fanatics to trade recipes and swap ideas without fear of ridicule because in this case, the dish is open to ones own interpretation.
Which brings us to today. As I set out on my day off to put a little riff on this classic street food stalwart, we have to pay heed to the basics and the necessary ingredients before carrying on. I will say that some of these ingredients are tough to source. But I’ve included substitutions in the recipe, so definitely stick around! I just want to make sure I give the full lay of the land before diving in.
So what goes in Okonomiyaki? Well, the classics are as follows; Cabbage, Flour, Eggs, Baking Powder, Sugar, Dashi, Japanese Mountain Yam (this will be your nemesis to source, but you can make it without), Tenkasu (little tempura scraps you can buy packaged), Pickled Red Ginger (still with me here??), Okonomiyaki Sauce (a sort of sweet worcestershire-ish bbq sauce), Kewpie Mayo (a sweet Japanese mayo…if you don’t make this recipe, at least buy some of this mayo for the house!), and Katsuobushi (smoked bonito flakes).
I was able to nab everything at my local and trusty H Mart. Sidenote: if you haven’t been to an H Mart, do yourself a favor and get lost there for an hour or so! I guarantee you leave with at least 3 different types of ramen and a bunch of good snacks and condiments. Ok, moving on. If you don’t have an H Mart or something similar in your neck of the woods, you may need to do a little digging on your own to find a reliable source nearby. A lot of this stuff you can order online, as well.
At any rate, I headed back to my kitchen and plopped everything out on the counter. The first step is to get the batter made so it has time to rest. Batter tired. Batter need sleep. Once I had that in the fridge, I knocked out the rest of the work, which is really minimal. Some simple knife cuts to get my mise en place in order and I was on my way to making some insanely delicious okonomiyaki.
I should say here, my one fun addition was some smoked eel I had kicking around the restaurant. No smoked eel in the back of your fridge, you say? Fear not, some peeled, de-veined and chopped shrimp is fairly customary. I also feel like some smoked salmon could be pretty good folded up in there, or some chopped squid or scallops. Or you can omit this entirely. Really, this dish is about convenience. At least when making it at home. You should feel free to add or omit most of these ingredients, save for the batter ingredients and of course the okonomiyaki sauce and kewpie.
Anyway, once I made my mind up that this was what I was going to cook this weekend, I honestly felt really excited leading up to it. The smoked eel was the catalyst, oddly enough. And some cabbage we ordered for family meal that was taking up space in the walk-in. Just a couple of ingredients is sometimes all it takes to get the juices flowing and to spark a memory or an idea. This one turned out so phenomenal though. I don’t even think I was mentally prepared for the amount of restraint I would need to not just make another one right after I polished off the first. My future self thanked me for not submitting to my desires.
I’ll drop the recipe below.
