Osaka Style Okonomiyaki

This Japanese street food is an Asian cross between a cabbage based pizza and a pancake.  A cooked cabbage patty with delicious toppings like bacon, shrimp, squid or octopus can be enjoyed. In North America, an okonomiyaki sounds a little odd, but don’t judge it until you eat it!

This week’s supper challenge, is “pizza.”  I was feeling a little bad for the kiddos, other households are enjoying savory cheesy goodness and I am making an Osaka style cabbage pizza crust.  Turns out, I could barely sneak a bite as they were coming of the pan. These Japanese pizza pancakes are delish!

Taste: WINNER – its hard to believe the patty is made from cabbage, the cabbage taste is very muted.
Texture: Crispy on the edges if the patty is still hot, could use another crispy texture, but the taste is great, I don’t consider texture

Osaka Style Okonomiyaki

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Okonomiyaki flour
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups of green cabbage sliced thin into 1” or 2” x ¼” strips (quarter the cabbage and remove stem)
• 2 stalks of green onions sliced thin crosswise
• Thin sliced bacon or pork belly

Okonomiyaki Toppings

• Okonomaki Sauce
• Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise
• Bonito flakes
• Flaked seaweed
• Optional: cooked shrimp octopus, squid

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, use a whisk to mix okonomiyaki flour and water.
  
• Add green cabbage and green onion slices to batter. Quickly toss to coat.
• Add eggs to batter and mix to coat all items.
• Preheat a non-stick frying pan on the stove on medium heat.
• Divide cabbage batter into three parts in large bowl.
• Drop one part of the cabbage batter (1/3 of the batter) into the frying pan and with a rubber spatula, gently flatten into a 10” pancake about 3/4” thickness. Cook for 3 minutes (will be slightly brown and start to hold together.
  
• Use two spatulas to flip the okonomiyaki over. Two spatulas help support to ensure it does not break.
  
• Cook other side of okonomiyaki for 3 minutes (browned). Meanwhile, lay 3-4 slices of thinly sliced pork belly (unseasoned) or bacon onto the cooked side.
  
• Flip the okonomiyaki back, onto the pork belly side and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned.
  
• Flip okonomiyaki onto a serving plate.
• Toppings:
• Gently squeeze okonomaki sauce along the outer top edge of the okonomiyaki.
• Generously fill the inside of the sauce with bonito flakes and flaked seaweed
• Squeeze Japanese mayonnaise across the top.
• Enjoy and share the okonomiyaki hot! Its delicious!