Cooking/Recipes Hub: Okonomiyaki

An old favorite of mine from back when I used to live in Japan while my father was stationed there. This recipe is fairly simple and the ingredients should not be too hard to get. Think of the dish as an overglorified hash browns, but awesome in that sense.

4 oz. grated nagaimo, or the equivalent amount of reconstituted yamaimo powder
4 to 5 tablespoons of dashi stock, or water with a pinch of dashi powder
2 oz all purpose flour, sifted
3 large eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons of beni shouga
4 tablespoons of tenkasu
About 10 1/2 oz. roughly chopped cabbage
6 to 8 thin slices of pork belly
3 tablespoons of chopped green onion (optional)
1 tablespoon of sakura ebi (optional)
Oil for cooking

The topping:
aonori
katsuobushi
okonomiyaki sauce or tonkatsu sauce plus optional mayonnaise

a griddle plate or a large non-stick frying pan
a smaller frying pan
a wad of paper towels or cotton wool
a grater
a brush for the sauce (optional)

Peel and grate the nagaimo, following the hints above for protecting your hands. Mix with the dashi and flour, and add two of the eggs. It should be a rather loose batter.
At this point, if you don’t have any tenkasu on hand, heat up some oil in a small frying pan. Dribble some of the batter in the hot oil.

Cook until golden brown. Drain off the oil (you can use it to cook the okonomiyaki) and allow the tenkasu to cool.
Add the chopped cabbage to the batter.
Add the other egg. Stir with a big spoon or a spatula to combine.
Add the other ingredients except the pork. Crumble the tenkasu with your hands a bit before adding. Stir to combine.
Heat up your griddle pan or big frying pan. Take a wad of cotton wool or paper towels, and spread around a thin layer of oil.
The heat should be about medium-low. Spread 1/3 to 1/2rd of the batter in a circle on the pan. If this is your first time, go with the smaller size to make flipping easier.
Place 2 to 3 strips of pork as flat as possible on top of the batter.
Put on a lid, and let it steam-cook for about 5-6 minutes.
When the pork has lightened up in color, it’s time to flip the okonomiyaki.
Take two spatulas and flip the thing over carefully. Voila! Continue cooking without a lid for about 3-4 more minutes. Lower the heat if it’s cooking too fast, or turn it up a bit if it isn’t. Try to resist the urge to press down on the okonomiyaki at this point - doing so will squeeze some air and fluffiness out of the okonomiyaki.
Flip over once more, so the pork side is facing up. Brush with the sauce of your choice - straight okonomiyaki sauce, a mix of okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, soy sauce, etc.
Sprinkle on some katsuobushi and aonori liberally.
o serve, cut into 4 pieces (the pro does this on the plate with a spatula, but you can use a knife on a cutting board).
The inside should be just cooked through, not doughy or runny. Eat while piping hot. (Okonomiyaki is edible enough when it’s cold, but it’s one of those foods that is so much better when it’s freshly made.)