How to make okonomiyaki: Osaka's savory pancake at home

The name okonomiyaki translates as grill what you like. This is genuinely accurate: the dish is defined not by a fixed formula but by whatever the cook decides to put into it. The structure - a thick, eggy-cabbage batter cooked on a flat iron surface - stays constant. Everything else is negotiable. This makes it one of the most practical, least prescriptive dishes in Japanese home cooking, and one of the most satisfying.

The batter: structure and lightness

Combine plain flour with dashi, one or two eggs, and a pinch of salt. The secret ingredient that differentiates genuine okonomiyaki batter from a simple pancake batter is grated yamaimo (Japanese mountain yam). Yamaimo is sticky and binding when raw, which gives the cooked pancake its characteristic lightness and helps it hold together during flipping. It is available at Japanese grocery stores. If you cannot find it, the pancake is still good - just slightly denser.

Mix in thinly shredded cabbage until it makes up roughly half the total volume. The cabbage provides bulk, moisture and the slightly sweet flavour that makes okonomiyaki distinctive. Classic additions: sliced spring onion, shrimp, squid, thin slices of pork belly laid across the top before cooking.

The pan and heat

A flat iron griddle or heavy skillet is ideal. The surface needs to be completely flat, evenly heated and properly seasoned. Heat over medium heat with a thin layer of oil. Pour the batter in a circle about two centimetres thick and neaten the edges gently with a spatula. The thickness is important: too thin and it will not hold together; too thick and the centre will still be raw when the outside is done.

The flip

Do not touch the pancake for four minutes. Let the underside set and colour properly before you attempt to flip it. This is the moment most home cooks get wrong - flipping too early produces a pancake that falls apart. When the edges look set and the underside is a deep golden brown, flip once using the widest spatula you have. Cook the second side for three to four minutes. The centre should be set but still slightly soft.

Toppings

Brush the surface generously with okonomiyaki sauce. Add zigzag lines of Japanese mayonnaise. Finish with aonori and katsuobushi. The bonito flakes will wave in the rising heat - one of the most satisfying visual signals in Japanese cooking that the dish is served at the right temperature. Explore our okonomiyaki tools for the right equipment.

Also worth making: takoyaki for another Osaka classic that follows the same spirit.