Japan – Japanese Okonomiyaki

by Zayna Khan

As a Japanese cuisine, this dish is an authentic dish from the traditional values. This is a dish in which wheat flour is used to make a base of the dish and then topped with different sauces. Actually from wheat flour batter is made and then flat pancakes like bread. These special pancakes are served with different vegetables but the main vegetable used in this dish is Cabbage. Cabbage patties are made and some meat of seafood is also added over the dish like shrimp, prawns, octopus, and fish, etc. There are different varieties of okonomiyaki served in Japan like some are solid dishes of flatbread things and others are semi-solid in texture.

The word, OKONOMI means ” what you like ? ” and YAKI means ” Fried food “

This dish can also be a vegetarian version like you canjust add vegetables and skip the meat if you don’t like to add. Noodles, eggs, fried vegetables and fried spicy meat, wheat pancakes are layered over eachother.

Some people said that this is a Japanese pizza. Because it is a flat bread and having topings over it.

Main Elements of the dish

This dish has few elements that combined together in a plate and come up with a beautiful dish.

• Wheat pancakes
• Fried vegetables
• Cabbage patties
• Fried meat
• Noodles ( udon, soba, etc )
• Fried egg
• Sauces

Types of Sauces used over this dish

• Mayo dip
• Worcestershire sauce
• Soya sauce etc

Toppings of the dish

Toppings are personal choice of the person. But it introduce the traditional authentic toppings of the dish :

• Pickled ginger
• Scallions
• Aonori
• Bonito flakes
• Sesame seeds
• Dashi powder
• Yamaimo

This dish has originated from the original Japanese cuisine. But have different servings from different cities like:

In Hiroshima, elements of this dish are layered over each and other to form patties like shape. Layering is not sequenced wise because its up to you. You can either make Pancake on the bottom and layer the vegetables, meat over it and over it again with pancakes.

In Kansai, the pancakes are placed on the bottom and mixed vegetables, meat, and noodles are combined placed on top. And then served by adding sauce over it.

In Osaka, It is said Japanese pizza because the base is of pancake, and the topping is arranged in a manner that it looks like a pizza. In Osaka, this dish is known as SOUL FOOD.

1. Pancakes

Ingredients of making pancakes

• 1 cups = wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon = salt
• 1 tablespoon = red pepper
• 1 cup = Cabbage shredded
• 1 cup = scallions chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup = panko

Method of making pancakes

• Take a mixing bowl and add chopped vegetables, cabbage, and scallions to add into it.
• Add flour and panko into the vegetables with seasonings and mix well.
• Beat eggs and add them into it.
• Check the mixture is not too hard or not thin.
• Then mix the vegetables and flour together into a well smooth mixture.

2. FRIED MEAT

Ingredients of fried meat

Meat of anything can be taken like from poultry, seafood etc.

• 1 lbs = prawns
• 1/2 teaspoon = salt
• 1/2 teaspoon = blackpepper
• 2 tablespoons = clive oil
• 2 tablespoons = lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons = corn starch

Method of cooking

• Just mix all things together in a mixing bowl.
• Let it coat properly until the prawns get marinated properly.
• Now deep fry the prawns.
• Keep it aside for layering and serve in the plate.

3. FRIED EGG

4. SAUTEED VEGETABLES

5. UDON ( NOODLES )

Layering procedure

• Take the fried pancake and place it at the bottom of the plate.
• Now add few pieces of meat over it.
• Cover it with a noodles layer.
• Then fried egg.
• Add sauces of choice.
• Garnish with scallions.
• Enjoy the feast.