Okonomiyaki-Style Savory Pancakes with Black Beans

About This Recipe

Okonomiyaki means roughly whatever-you-like, grilled — a savory pancake tradition rooted in Osaka and Hiroshima where cooks fold shredded cabbage and a light batter around whatever protein or vegetable is on hand. This version uses black beans folded into the batter, an approachable pantry-friendly protein that holds up well against the cabbage and griddle heat, alongside the classic finishing trio of okonomiyaki sauce, kewpie mayo, and bonito flakes. The technique that actually defines okonomiyaki is the cabbage-to-batter ratio: this is a vegetable pancake bound by a thin batter, not a flour pancake with vegetables mixed in. Shredding the cabbage finely and mixing everything just before cooking (so the cabbage doesn't weep water into the batter) keeps the pancake from turning gummy. A confident flip halfway through, using a large plate or two spatulas, is the other skill worth practicing. Finished right, okonomiyaki has a lightly crisp exterior, a tender savory interior full of cabbage crunch, and a glossy top of tangy-sweet sauce and mayo zigzags, with bonito flakes that curl and 'dance' from the residual heat.

Ingredients

Serves 3

• 1 cupall-purpose flour
• 1 cupdashi or water
• 2eggs
• 4 cupsgreen cabbage(finely shredded)
• 1 can (15 oz)black beans(drained, roughly mashed)
• 3scallions(sliced)
• 2 tbsppickled red ginger (beni shoga)(chopped)
• 2 tbspneutral oil(for cooking)
• 0.25 cupokonomiyaki sauce(or ketchup-Worcestershire blend)
• 3 tbspkewpie mayo
• 0.25 cupbonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• 1 tbspaonori (dried seaweed flakes)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter

   Whisk flour and dashi together until smooth, then whisk in eggs. The batter should be thin, like heavy cream — thinner than a Western pancake batter.

2. 2

   Fold in the vegetables

   Just before cooking, fold shredded cabbage, mashed black beans, scallions, and pickled ginger into the batter. Mix until the batter lightly coats everything without turning soupy.

   Wait until you're ready to cook before mixing the cabbage in — salted or resting cabbage releases water that thins the batter too much.

3. 3

   Cook the first side

   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Mound half the batter into a thick disc, about 1 inch tall, and cook undisturbed 6-7 minutes until the bottom is deeply golden and the edges look set.

4. 4

   Flip carefully

   Slide the pancake onto a large plate, invert a second plate on top, and flip the whole stack, or use two wide spatulas together. Slide it back into the pan uncooked-side down and cook 5-6 more minutes.

5. 5

   Sauce and garnish

   Transfer to a plate. Brush generously with okonomiyaki sauce, then drizzle mayo in a zigzag pattern. Sprinkle with aonori and top with bonito flakes, which will curl gently from the heat. Repeat with remaining batter.

Variations

• •

  Add thin strips of pork belly, laid on top of the batter before the first flip, for a classic Hiroshima-Osaka-style version.

• •

  Mix in shredded mochi or cheese for a modern gooey variation popular in Japanese okonomiyaki restaurants.

• •

  For a lighter version, use half cabbage and half shredded carrot and daikon.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes up to 2 days, wrapped individually. Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat to re-crisp the exterior rather than microwaving, which makes them soggy.

Frequently Asked Questions