Okonomiyaki (Savory Cabbage Pancake) with Lemon Pepper

About This Recipe

Okonomiyaki -- literally 'grilled as you like it' -- is Osaka's favorite late-night comfort food: a thick batter of shredded cabbage, flour, egg, and dashi, griddled until crisp on the outside and tender within, then loaded with toppings like okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and pickled ginger. This version adds a finishing crack of lemon pepper, a nod to the way late-night okonomiyaki-ya let customers customize toppings however they like. The technique hinges on the batter ratio and cooking patience: enough flour and grated nagaimo (or egg) to bind the cabbage without making it gummy, and a long, undisturbed cook on a well-oiled griddle or skillet so the outside browns deeply while the inside steams through. Flipping too early is the most common mistake -- the pancake needs a full 5-6 minutes per side over medium heat before it's structurally ready to flip in one piece. Topped with sweet-tangy okonomi sauce (a Worcestershire-based sauce similar to tonkatsu sauce), zig-zagged mayonnaise, and dancing bonito flakes, okonomiyaki is street food, home food, and drinking food all at once -- found everywhere from Osaka teppan counters to late-night home kitchens across Japan.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 1 cupall-purpose flour
• 0.75 cupdashi(cooled)
• 2 largeeggs
• 400 ggreen cabbage(finely shredded)
• 3scallions(chopped)
• 100 gpork belly slices(thin-cut)
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 4 tbspokonomi sauce(or tonkatsu sauce)
• 3 tbspKewpie mayonnaise
• 2 tbspbonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• 1 tsplemon zest
• 1 tspcoarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsppickled ginger (beni shoga)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter

   Whisk flour and dashi together until smooth, then whisk in eggs. Fold in shredded cabbage and scallions until evenly coated in batter.

2. 2

   Heat the pan

   Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Mound the cabbage batter into a thick round, about 2cm/1 inch tall.

3. 3

   Layer the pork

   Lay pork belly slices over the top of the pancake, pressing gently so they adhere.

4. 4

   Cook the first side

   Cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until the bottom is deeply browned and the edges look set.

5. 5

   Flip and cook through

   Using a wide spatula (and a plate to help if needed), flip the pancake pork-side down. Cook 5-6 more minutes until cooked through and both sides are crisp and browned.

6. 6

   Top and serve

   Transfer to a plate, spread okonomi sauce over the top, zig-zag with mayonnaise, and scatter bonito flakes, lemon zest, cracked pepper, and pickled ginger.

Variations

• •

  Modan-yaki: layer in a sheet of fried yakisoba noodles between the batter and pork for the Hiroshima-inspired version.

• •

  Seafood okonomiyaki: swap pork belly for shrimp and squid.

• •

  Vegetarian: omit the pork and use a splash of extra soy sauce in the batter for depth.

Storage

Best eaten immediately while hot and crisp. Leftovers keep refrigerated up to 2 days; reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat to re-crisp rather than microwaving, which turns it soggy.

Frequently Asked Questions