Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is one of Japan's most expressive and participatory dishes — a savoury pancake built on a batter of flour, egg, grated nagaimo yam and shredded cabbage, then topped with whatever the cook chooses (the name translates roughly as grilled as you like it). In Osaka, the toppings are mixed directly into the batter; in Hiroshima, they are layered with noodles in a more structured construction. Both versions are covered with a generous application of okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, dried bonito flakes and aonori seaweed, then eaten directly from the pan or from individual plates.
Making okonomiyaki at home is genuinely straightforward and produces results that are hard to distinguish from restaurant versions. The batter comes together quickly, the cooking time is around five to seven minutes per side on a medium-heat flat griddle, and the toppings are applied and decorated at the table, which makes the dish particularly well-suited to group cooking where everyone can customise their own portion. The bonito flakes applied on top, which begin to wave and dance from the residual heat of the pancake as it is carried to the table, are one of Japanese food's most delightful visual moments.
The key equipment requirement is a flat griddle or frying pan with good surface area and even heat distribution — a cast iron flat plate or a dedicated teppan is ideal but a wide non-stick pan works well for home use. A wide spatula for flipping confidently, a squeeze bottle for the mayonnaise and sauce, and a brush or small ladle for initial batter spreading are the other tools needed.
Okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, dried bonito flakes and aonori are all available in the ingredients section.
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Cook on our skillets and use spatulas and picks for flipping and serving.
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