So what's okonomiyaki (OH-ko-no-me-YA-kee)? Think pancakes, except more savory and with bacon and veggies instead of blueberries or other fruit. This is one of my favorite dishes in the world, mainly because you can throw almost anything into it.
I live within ten minutes of two different Asian stores, so the recipe I've posted here is fairly traditional. In many of these stores, especially Ranch 99, you might even be able to find okonomiyaki flour or mix-- but there are a number of substitutions you can make if you can't find some of the ingredients. You can use cake flour, potato starch and chicken stock for the wheat flour, nagaimo and dashi, and you can skip the tenkasu (or use panko or even Rice Krispies). For the oko sauce, you can combine 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of ketchup, and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Use Miracle Whip for the kewpie mayo. And as for the other ingredients, remember, you can use any kind of veggie or meat you want.
Since this process has a few steps, I'm going to try something different...I'm adding more pictures. Let me know what you think!
Okonomiyaki
INGREDIENTS (To Make 2)
1 cup wheat flour
2/3 cup dashi
2 Eggs
1/4 cup grated nagaimo (mountain yam)
STIR INS (bottom, clockwise)
4 cups cabbage, shredded and roughly chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
6 strips bacon, cut in half
Not pictured:
2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup tenkasu (Tempura bits)
TOPPINGS (top left to right)
Okonomi Sauce
Kewpie Mayonnaise
Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes)
Furikake (dry rice seasoning)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS (not pictured):
1/2 cup Raw shrimp cut into approx 1cm (1/2") chunks
1-2 links Chinese sausage, cut diagonally
1 oz Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large bowl, whisk the okonomiyaki flour and dashi/stock until smooth. Add the eggs and combine.
Add the grated nagaimo. (Try to freeze it before you grate it, otherwise you'll have a gooey,slimy mess. The smallest holes on the grater are traditional, but I prefer the bigger ones--it's faster.)
Add the other items (but not the bacon or toppings!) and mix lightly.
Heat a skillet on the stove and add a tablespoon of oil to it. Swirl the pan to coat it with the oil. (I add a tiny amount of sesame oil for taste, but it's optional.)
Add half the mixture to the pan. Press it down to the best of your ability with a spatula. It should take up most of the pan. Let it cook for three minutes or until browned on one side.
Place the bacon strips on top of the oko and (carefully) flip the whole thing over. You may need another spatula for this, but it's OK if it gets messy.
Let it cook until it's brown on the other side and the bacon is cooked, about 4 minutes. Flip it one more time and cook for another three minutes.
Slide the Oko onto a plate. But wait, there's more! Drizzle the okonomiyaki sauce and the kewpie mayo over your oko. Sprinkle the furikake and katusoboshi on top.
Eat it while it's hot!
I live within ten minutes of two different Asian stores, so the recipe I've posted here is fairly traditional. In many of these stores, especially Ranch 99, you might even be able to find okonomiyaki flour or mix-- but there are a number of substitutions you can make if you can't find some of the ingredients. You can use cake flour, potato starch and chicken stock for the wheat flour, nagaimo and dashi, and you can skip the tenkasu (or use panko or even Rice Krispies). For the oko sauce, you can combine 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of ketchup, and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Use Miracle Whip for the kewpie mayo. And as for the other ingredients, remember, you can use any kind of veggie or meat you want.
Since this process has a few steps, I'm going to try something different...I'm adding more pictures. Let me know what you think!
Okonomiyaki
INGREDIENTS (To Make 2)
1 cup wheat flour
2/3 cup dashi
2 Eggs
1/4 cup grated nagaimo (mountain yam)
STIR INS (bottom, clockwise)
4 cups cabbage, shredded and roughly chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
6 strips bacon, cut in half
Not pictured:
2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup tenkasu (Tempura bits)
TOPPINGS (top left to right)
Okonomi Sauce
Kewpie Mayonnaise
Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes)
Furikake (dry rice seasoning)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS (not pictured):
1/2 cup Raw shrimp cut into approx 1cm (1/2") chunks
1-2 links Chinese sausage, cut diagonally
1 oz Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large bowl, whisk the okonomiyaki flour and dashi/stock until smooth. Add the eggs and combine.
Add the grated nagaimo. (Try to freeze it before you grate it, otherwise you'll have a gooey,slimy mess. The smallest holes on the grater are traditional, but I prefer the bigger ones--it's faster.)
Add the other items (but not the bacon or toppings!) and mix lightly.
Heat a skillet on the stove and add a tablespoon of oil to it. Swirl the pan to coat it with the oil. (I add a tiny amount of sesame oil for taste, but it's optional.)
Add half the mixture to the pan. Press it down to the best of your ability with a spatula. It should take up most of the pan. Let it cook for three minutes or until browned on one side.
Place the bacon strips on top of the oko and (carefully) flip the whole thing over. You may need another spatula for this, but it's OK if it gets messy.
Let it cook until it's brown on the other side and the bacon is cooked, about 4 minutes. Flip it one more time and cook for another three minutes.
Slide the Oko onto a plate. But wait, there's more! Drizzle the okonomiyaki sauce and the kewpie mayo over your oko. Sprinkle the furikake and katusoboshi on top.
Eat it while it's hot!
