This generous savoury Japanese pancake makes the most appetising light meal or starter. You can make it with all kinds of toppings, but this one is stuffed with prawns, spring onions and ramen noodles, then pan-fried and drizzled in a tangy sauce and Japanese mayo. Yum!
How to make okonomiyaki: key tips
An okonomiyaki batter is simply flour, eggs and stock, and we’ve added a dash of mirin, too. Be sure to whisk the batter until it’s lovely and smooth – its job is to hold together the ample fillings used in this dish.
The okonomiyaki is cooked similarly to a regular pancake: pan-fried for a few minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Try not to make them too thick, or they will cook on the outside before cooking on the inside. Keeping the temperature on medium will help them to cook through evenly.
Key ingredients in this okonomiyaki recipe
Green cabbage is essential in okonomiyaki. Chinese cabbage (wombok) is used in this recipe, but you can really use whatever cabbage you like, including savoy and drumhead. Just make sure that it’s very finely shredded.
The combination of tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce mimics the traditional Japanese okonomiyaki sauce, but you could easily buy a bottle of Otafuku Okonomi Sauce from the supermarket, or tonkatsu sauce, to squeeze over, if you like.
I think Japanese kewpie mayo is a must to drizzle over the okonomiyaki. It’s rich and velvety because it’s made with egg yolks, rather than whole eggs. You can swap it with whole egg mayo, but it’s not quite the same.
If you’ve enjoyed this type of “pancake” try these other pancakes from around the world. And if you’d like to savour more Japanese cuisine, here are 26 easy Japanese recipes to enjoy.
Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.
Ingredients
- 2 x 180g shelf-stable ramen noodles
- 1 cup chicken stock (liquid)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbs mirin
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 300g cooked prawns peeled
- 2 cups Chinese cabbage finely shredded
- 3 spring onions thinly sliced *to serve *extra
- 2 tbs peanut oil
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise *to serve
- 1 pinch pickled ginger drained *to serve
Method
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Step 1Place noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 30 seconds. Separate noodles with a fork. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain well.
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Step 2Whisk stock, eggs and mirin in a large bowl to combine. Add flour. Whisk until smooth. Add noodles, prawns, cabbage and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
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Step 3Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 15cm round (base), 20cm round (top) frying pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 of the noodle mixture, spreading until mixture is 2cm thick. Cook for 3 minutes each side, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and noodle mixture.
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Step 4Meanwhile, combine tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce and soy sauce in a small jug.
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Step 5Divide okonomiyaki among serving plates. Drizzle with sauce mixture and mayonnaise. Serve topped with pickled ginger and extra onion.
Recipe Notes
Can I adapt this okonomiyaki recipe?
The name okonomiyaki says it all. ‘Okonomi’ means ‘how you like’ it, so make it how you like it! Instead of prawns, try pork mince, shredded barbecued chicken, bacon, cooked beef or pork belly pieces. As far as the vegies are concerned, try adding corn kernels, bean sprouts and grated carrot or potato. Sprinkle over some bonito flakes for extra flavour.
How do I eat okonomiyaki?
It’s traditionally shared: chopped into pieces with a spatula and then eaten with chopsticks. But you can also serve it on individual plates to be pulled apart with your chopsticks and devoured, or you can simply grab a knife and fork and go for it. No stress!
Recipe Reviews (1)
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