Though usually referred to as the ‘Japanese Pancake’, Okonomiyaki is the weird Japanese cousin to the pizza. Grilled on a Teppan (hotplate), Okonomiyaki literally means ‘grill-as-you-like’ and can have a variety of different ingredients depending on where you’re at in Japan and your own preferences.
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How to Make Okonomiyaki
At restaurants in Japan
At restaurants in Japan a chef will prepare it for you or you’ll have to do it yourself on the Teppan provided. Usually they’ll let you know if they will prepare it or ask if you need help. If you do it yourself, just take the ingredients and stir them together thoroughly before putting them on the Teppan to cook. Using special Okonomiyaki spatulas, flip the pancake after one side is finished and add the mayo, sauce, Bonito, and Ao-nori after the second is finished cooking. Then you can use smaller spatulas to cut and distribute your finished product.
Okonomiyaki: Kansai Style
The Kansai style of Okonomiyaki is probably the most popular and well known of the Okonomiyaki found around Japan as Kansai is said to be where the dish originated. The batter and cabbage is mixed together with Nagaimo (a type of yam) and your choice of meat and/or seafood, then you put it on the Teppan to fry on both sides, much like a pancake. The above instructions are mostly used for this style of Okonomiyaki as it is the most common of all the variations.
Okonomiyaki: Hiroshima Style
Unlike it’s Kansai brother, the Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki is a bit different. Instead of mixing together all the ingredients, each part is layered in. First, the batter is poured onto the grill and made into the pancake that will be the base of the Okonomiyaki. Then, the cabbage is piled on. On top of the cabbage will be all your toppings. On the side, noodles will be prepared as the final topping. An egg is cracked and cooked into a circle to serve as the last part of your Okonomiyaki. It’s a very tall dish comparatively to its Kansai counterpart, but no less delicious.
Other variations
There are many other variations of Okonomiyaki to try, such as Modanyaki where a layer of noodles is added to the Kansai version of Okonomiyaki. Or Negiyaki, a version that is made with heaps of scallions and fried thinner than your usual Okonomiyaki.
Tokyo also has its own variation called Monjayaki, where more water or Dashi (Japanese cooking stock) is added to the batter to make it runny rather than solid like the usual Okonomiyaki. This version is said to have been started in the Tsukishima district of Tokyo and is usually eaten straight from the grill.
With so many different types of Okonomiyaki to choose from, it is definitely a grill as you like sort of meal.