Published by: Adina · Last modified: January 15, 2024 3 Comments
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Savory Japanese cabbage pancakes or okonomiyaki recipe with bacon, and served with homemade okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise.
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- What is Okonomiyaki?
- Types of Okonomiyaki
- Recipe ingredients
- Tips for making Japanese cabbage pancakes
- What to do with leftovers?
- More savory pancakes
- Recipe
- Okonomiyaki – Japanese Cabbage Pancakes
What is Okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki, translated as “grilled as you like,” is a savory Japanese cabbage pancake (or some might call it Japanese pizza) made with lots of cabbage, some pancake batter, and topped with several other ingredients.
The cooked okonomiyaki is then topped with some delicious okonomiyaki sauce and served with Japanese mayonnaise.
Try more Japanese recipes, like katsu sando with tonkatsu sauce, or learn how to make dashi for ramen soup.
Types of Okonomiyaki
There are two main types: the Kansai or Osaka style and the Hiroshima style.
In the Kansai style, all the ingredients are mixed in the batter and then grilled. Other ingredients are then layered on top; what you put on it depends on taste. Today's recipe is more of a Kansai/Osaka-style okonomiyaki.
The chopped cabbage is mixed with the batter, and the pancakes are grilled or pan-fried and then basted with okonomiyaki sauce and topped with other ingredients like green onions and sesame seeds and served with homemade Japanese mayonnaise.
When you cook okonomiyaki Hiroshima style you will first make the pancake/crepe and then pile the remaining ingredients on top, starting with lots of cabbage.
Recipe ingredients
My version of okonomiyaki is a simplified or Europeanized version of the okonomiyaki. It is not that I didn't want to make an original Japanese okonomiyaki, but after reading a few recipes and searching for Japanese ingredients to buy online, I realized that I really did not want to turn such a simple recipe into an overly expensive affair.
So, I compromised, used what I had, made okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise myself and I could not have been happier.
Tips for making Japanese cabbage pancakes
- Add dashi to the batter if you happen to have it. If not, use water instead. I used instant dashi.
- Adjust the heat when cooking the Japanese cabbage pancakes. Start with medium-low heat, but if you notice that the underside of the first okonomiyaki you cook is too dark, turn the heat down a bit more.
- Use a lid to cook the okonomiyaki. The steam that forms inside the pan helps cook the cabbage and carrots.
- I needed about 18 bacon slices (2 packs, each weighing 3.5 oz/ 100 g). Use as much thinly sliced bacon to cover the pancake as needed and desired.
- It is best to use two pans to reduce the time you spend frying the pancakes.
- Place the cooked pancakes on a plate and keep them warm in the oven (at about 180°F/ 80°C) while you cook the rest.
What to do with leftovers?
- The Japanese cabbage pancakes can be frozen. Pack them in aluminum foil, and when defrosted, heat them up in the oven.
- Leftover Japanese mayonnaise is great on ham and cheese sandwiches or in the katsu sando sandwich.
More savory pancakes
- Butternut Squash or Pumpkin Fritters
- Potato Pancakes or Fritters
- Zucchini Feta Pancakes
- Green Wild Garlic Crepes
- Beetroot Crepes with Horseradish Filling
Recipe
Okonomiyaki – Japanese Cabbage Pancakes
Okonomiyaki recipe : savory Japanese cabbage pancakes with bacon, served with homemade okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise.
4.60 from 5 votes
Print Pin Grow Rate
Course: Asian and Indian Recipes
Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 440kcal
Author: Adina
Ingredients
- Japanese Mayonnaise:
- 4 tablespoons regular mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Okonomiyaki Sauce:
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Okonomiyaki:
- 450 g/ 1 lb/ 5 cups shredded cabbage
- 50 g/ 1.8 oz/ 1 cup shredded carrots
- 4 spring onions divided
- 2 large eggs
- 125 ml/ 4.2 fl.oz/ ½ cup dashi or water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 120 g/ 4.2 oz/ 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 200 g/ 7 oz thinly sliced bacon See note
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil or as needed
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Japanese mayonnaise:
Whisk together mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and sugar. Set aside.
Okonomiyaki sauce:
Whisk together sugar, oyster sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Japanese cabbage pancakes:
Shred the cabbage and the carrots. Set aside.
Thinly slice the green onions. Set aside about ¼ of the green onions, preferably more green parts, for sprinkling over the okonomiyaki later.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, dashi or water, soy sauce, and salt together. Slowly add the flour and whisk to obtain a thick, smooth batter.
Stir in the vegetables.
Cut the bacon slices in half.
Heat about ½ tablespoon of the oil in a non-stick or cast iron pan.
Add about 1 cup of batter to the pan and press with a spoon to form a circle of about 15 cm/ 6 inches diameter and about 1.2 cm/ ½ inch thick.
Cover the pancake with some bacon slices, as much as needed to cover the okonomiyaki, depends on the size of the bacon slices.
Cover the pan with a lid, this will help the cabbage get soft.
Turn the heat a bit down, so that the underside of the pancake doesn't get too dark. If you notice that after you have turned the first pancake, adjust the temperature again. The pancakes should be golden brown and not too dark.
Cook the pancake on the first side for 5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. Flip with a spatula and cook, covered, for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
It is preferable to use two pans when cooking okonomiyaki, you can only cook one at a time, and cooking 6 of them will take quite a while. Using two pans will halve the cooking time.
Place the cooked okonomiyaki on a plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest. Add a little more oil to the pan before starting with each okonomiyaki.
When all the Japanese cabbage pancakes are cooked, brush them with okonomiyaki sauce. Drizzle with the Japanese mayonnaise. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions and with sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
I needed about 18 bacon slices (2 packs, each weighing 100 g/ 3.5 oz) for the okonomiyaki. German bacon is extremely thinly sliced and very narrow, so that is why I needed 18 slices. Use as much thinly sliced bacon to cover the pancake as needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1okonomiyaki | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 1409mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g
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Reader Interactions
Comments
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Hi Adina - these Japanese pancakes are amazing. I have never seen anything like them, and whenever bacon is involved, well...enough said! Your photos are stunning, makes me want to whip up a batch today. The only ingredient I don't have in my pantry for this is the oyster sauce, but that's not a big deal to find. Looks like lots of delicious flavor, thanks for another great recipe!
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Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
Your version looks just as good as the original one. I love okonomiyaki. My husband and I have this "rule", if a Chinese restaurant serves Japanese food, do not the Japanese food, especially the sushi and sashimi, they are hardly ever good like you said, a joke! I have yet to encounter one that can do both well. If a sushi restaurant offers ramen, we do not order their ramen either. We usually go to the ones that specialized in ramen noodles. It's just us though. We have had enough bad experiences to come up with such conclusion LOL! sadly, they are consistent with our findings !
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Anca says
They are delightful. I've made them for my Taste the World and they were delicious.
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