In terms of pancakes, we often talk about the one with honey or creams, which are flavored by the sweet tooth. However, in Japan, there is a very different pancake called Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), which changes the cognition of foreigners that pancake could be made in a completely different way.
Okonomiyaki contains a variety of ingredients with different toppings and batters depending on regions across the whole country. Among these, Osaka Okonomiyaki and Hiroshima Okonomiyaki are distinctively famous than others because of their big differences on ingredients and flavors.
Osaka Style
Osaka-style Okonomiyaki is famous domestically and internationally. In western countries at Asian markets or special festivals, if you go to some booths named 鉄板焼き(teppanyaki), Japanese pizza or Japanese pancake, you will find the Osaka-style Okonomiyaki with ingredients such as green onion, meat, octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, mochi (Japanese rice cake,) or cheese. Sometimes people compare it to an omelette or pancake due to its shape and appearance. Unlike Hiroshima Okonomiyaki, Osaka Okonomiyaki is mixed together and the batter consists of different ingredients as well. A type of flour called merikenko mixed with grated yam potato, dashi, eggs, and shredded cabbage. In Osaka, every restaurant has their own signature batter, which means you will have different experiences of Okonomiyaki in every single restaurant!
What if you want to eat Okonomiyaki at night for dinner? Don’t worry, several simple steps are totally enough for this savoury pancake.
Firstly, make the batter by mixing flavor with other ingredients like what I mentioned above, then place the batter on the hot plate, shaping it into a circle.
After that, place shrimp, squid, and sliced pork on top and grill for four minutes. Flip it over to the other side and grill for another four minutes. Four minutes later, spread Okonomiyaki sauce over the pancake and sprinkle aonori / 青のり(seaweed flakes) on top. Finally spread over Japanese mayonnaise as you like (some people make a cheeky face or lovely heart). So, time for eating!
Hiroshima Style
Well, sometimes people go to restaurants or stalls where there are Yakisoba / 焼きそば(grilled noodle) and Okonomiyaki, people who want both will get stuck and struggle to make a decision. But from today, there is no need to worry about it because Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki is yakisoba-based as the biggest difference to Osaka’s. But besides this, ingredients are also slightly different like Hiroshima Okonomiyaki is often topped with a whole egg and it is quite flat compared to the mountain-shaped Okonomiyaki in Osaka. Is this harder to cook? Of course, the answer is NO! Only several steps are different, but it is as simple as Osaka Okonomiyaki. Let’s get down to making one for dinner now!
Firstly, you need to make a circle of the batter spreading on the hot plate, then top a lot of cabbage on it. After these two steps, just place two slices of meat and squirt some more batter on top of the meat as a layer. Place the cooked yakisoba on the hot plate and cover it with the cabbage pancake on top. flip it over to make the yakisoba on the bottom. Then, break an egg on the hot plate and put on top of the cabbage as the last layer. Finally, spread the Okonomiyaki sauce on it and enjoy!
Words used in this article
お好み焼き おこのみやき okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake)
鉄板焼き てっぱんやき teppanyaki (meat, vegetables) roasted on a hot plate
メリケン粉 めりけんこ merikenko (wheat flour)
焼きそば やきそば yakisoba (grilled noodle)
青のり あおのり aonori (seaweed flakes)
