Okonomi-yaki, Osaka-style Summary 大阪風お好み焼き総括

Here is a summary of the various “Osaka-style” okonomi-yaki we have experimented making recently. The picture shows an approximately 8 inch okonomi-yaki made with pork belly and all the toppings. I just wanted to post a summary of where we were able to get all the Japanese ingredients for an okonomi-yaki as well as the standard way to cook and top it.

Ingredients (basic or essential):
Cabbage キャベツ: Japanese or Taiwanese cabbage work best. Japanese cabbage is available from Suzuki Farm and Taiwanese from Weee. Compared to the American variety, the cabbage heads are flatter and not as round. We also think the leaves are more tender, sweeter and easier to separate than the american variety.

Scallion ねぎ: Chopped scallion either mixed into the batter, added as a topping or included both ways. 

Batter: There are two main ways to prepare the batter
Using either “Okonomiyaki” flour (#1 in the composite) or regular cake flour. The main difference is that the Okonomi-yaki flour already has kelp powder in it (which is one of the primary flavor elements, in addition to bonito, in Japanese dashi broth). So the batter can be made just using water instead of Japanese broth.  In addition because it does not include bonito, it is vegetarian. Cake flour can also be used as the base for the batter. While just plain water can be used as the moisture element in batter made with cake flour, it does not have any additional flavoring, either kelp or bonito, the resulting batter will not taste the same as one made with the Okonomi-yaki flour. So Japanese broth (made traditional style with kelp and bonito, or vegetarian style with kelp and dried shiitake mushroom) is generally used to achieve a similar flavor profile when using cake flour. The Okonomiyaki flour is available either from “Otafuku” US web site or “Weee”. Also vegetarian Japanese broth can be made with kelp and dried shiitake instead of bonito. In addition, (to make things even more complicated) both flour versions can also include grated “nagaimo” Japanese mountain yam which, while not adding additional flavoring, makes the texture more moist. (But I only used it in the cake flour version)

“Tenkasu” 天かす Tempura bits (#2). These bits can be either vegetarian or flavored with dried squid or shrimp.  Otafuku offers only vegetarian while Weee offers both. Although this can be omitted it is a standard ingredient. We like putting this on the pancake rather than mixing it in the batter because when you flip it, the tenkasu gets browned and crispy. Otherwise if you mix it in the batter, it sort of disappears

Toppings:(we got these toppings from Weee. Some are also available from Amazon)
1. Kizami shouga 刻み生姜. Julienne of pickled  ginger. This gives a nice ginger taste (#6)
2. Aonori 青海苔. Dried green laver. 
3. Katsuo-bushi flakes 鰹節 or kezuri-bush 削り節 which is thinly shaved fermented dried bonito and is the main ingredient of Japanese dashi broth. (Since it is made from dried fish, it is not used in the vegetarian version of okonomi-yaki).
4. Mayonnaise, specifically Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise (#5) which we got from Weee. Since we have never used Kewpie mayo, we were interested in how it compared to our standard American Hellman’s mayo. We found Kewpie mayo is smoother, slightly tangier and sweeter than Hellmann’s. Hellmann’s can be made to emulate Kewpie by adding rice vinegar and sugar. Conversely, we read, there is an American Kewpie, (which we have not tried). It is made differently from the Japanese variety. but was reported to taste like any other American mayo.

Sauce:
The mayo can be omitted but the okonomi-yaki sauces are a must. As far as we are concerned they make the dish. In general, regular okonomi-yaki sauce is available at Otafuku, Weee or any Japanese grocery store. However the Otafuku website also offers a spicy version (#4) in addition to the regular (#3) both of which are vegan. I also saw a “deluxe” version of the sauce at Otafuku which is not vegan and much more expensive. 

I suppose it is easy to make “regular” sauce into “spicy” sauce by adding your favorite hot sauce to the regular okonomi-yaki sauce.

Basic Directions to make okonomi-yaki

Directions for batter I made:
1) with water:
56g “Otafuku” okonomiyaki flour

92g water
1 egg

2) with Japanese broth and grated nagaimo:
50 grams cake flour 
40 grams Japanese broth (either vegetarian or traditional)
1 egg
40 grams grated Nagaimo 長芋 (which is available from Weee or a Japanese grocery store)

Directions for assembling the pancake:

1. Mix the batter, egg, cabbage, and scallion
2. Add the oil to an 8 inch frying pan on medium-low heat and pour in the batter to form a round disk about 2 cm by pressing the batter lightly with a spatula. 
3. Add the tempura bits and spread the pork belly on top if using. (#1 in the composite below)
4. Cook uncovered for 4 minutes
5. Flip and cook for 4 more minutes (you can either put on the lid or not as your preference.) We did not think the lid made much difference to the final product but most of the instructions include placing the lid (#2) in the composite below. We also found that when cooked with the lid on the pork belly was less crispy and more chewy. 
6. Flip the pancake again. The meat and tempura bits should be brown and crispy. (#3 in the composite below) Cook uncovered (if used the lid in the step 5) for 2-3 minutes
7. Remove the pancake to a plate or cutting board. Spread the mayo and sauce and top with the ginger, aonori, and bonito flakes (#4 in the composite below).

After making several version of okonomi-yaki, we learned;

1. Cake flour with graded nagaimo and broth (either vegetarian or bonito and kelp) vs. Okomoni-yaki flour mix (from Otafuku which is vegan containing just powdered kelp) did not make a big difference. Actually we may slightly prefer using the Otafuku flour mix which is also much easier to prepare. 

2. Rather than mixing tempura bits into the batter, it is better to layer them on the top. Otherwise, they totally disappear where as they become nicely crunchy when layered on the top.

3. We found whether or not a lid should be used after the first flipping is debatable.  Although, some recipes indicate placing the lid will make it more tender and fluffy, we found that it may also make the pork meat (if using) less crispy and more chewy. We did not see any significant difference in the okonomi-yaki itself.

4. Using Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise may be authentic but not essential

5. In terns of proteins, thinly sliced pork belly is the standard. We also tried substituting smoked bacon for the pork belly. (We call an okonomi-yaki made with smoked bacon “Bethesda Maryland style” which we like better than one made with pork belly). Seafood versions can be made with shrimp, scallops etc. A vegetarian version can be made with the addition of mushrooms such as shiitake, carrot etc and/or abura-age deep fried tofu as vegetarian simulation of the traditional pork belly

In any case, this dish is quite forgiving and you can make it with less or more ingredients once the base of the batter and shredded cabbage has been made. 

Blueberry Yogurt Popsicle ブルーベリー ヨーグルト アイスキャンディー

We were trying to take advantage of the local blueberry season and, as a result of our exuberance, we ended up with an excess of blueberries. My wife prepared blueberry puree which can be used for many things such as muffins, sauce for pancakes or added to yogurt. This time, she wanted to make a cold desert using the blueberry puree. We took an easy way and made this blueberry popsicle (rather than ice cream which would have required an ice cream churn) (Picture #1). I remembered that we have a silicon mold which could be used to make a popsicle. The original purpose of the molds was to make “Bacon Cheese Egg bites”. But designed to be multipurpose they included some lids and sticks so the molds could be used to make popsicles.  The resulting popsicle is shown in picture #1. Actually we did not eat it as a popsicle but removed the stick and cut it in half and served it. This is easy to make and not bad for a cold dessert.

Ingredients:
For the Yogurt Base:
1 cup strained blueberry puree 
5 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup; 155 g) full-fat Greek yogurt, 5% milk fat (my wife made Greek yogurt from her home made full-fat yogurt)
2 ounces granulated sugar (1/4 cup; 55 g)
2 ounces (1/4 cup; 55 g) heavy cream (we used light cream)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (we omitted this )
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

Directions
For the Blueberry Purée: In a 2-quart stainless steel saucepan, stir together blueberries on low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a heat-resistant spatula, until the blueberries soften and exude some juice. Puree the mixture until very smooth with an immersion blender, about 15 seconds. Strain the blueberry purée through a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl to remove skin fragments (you should have 1 cup of strained purée).

For the Yogurt Base: In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, cream, lemon juice, and salt until well combined.

To Make the Popsicles: Whisk blueberry purée into yogurt base until thoroughly combined. Divide the popsicle base evenly between six 3-fluid-ounce popsicle molds (#2). We covered them with the lid that came with the mold and inserted the stick that also came with the mold (#3) (these may not have needed since we did not consume this as a popsicle).

These were a very refreshing conclusion to dinner on a hot summer’s day. They were creamy in texture and unlike the sorbet we made recently could be divided into pieces without the help of a “chisel”. The blueberry flavor also came through very nicely.

Pork Okonomi-yaki 豚バラお好み焼き

This is a probably the most standard version of Osaka-style okonomi-yaki which is made using pork belly. As you can see, after placing sauces and toppings on the pancake it is difficult to see which version of okomoni-yaki this is (although, it can’t be vegetarian since the toppings include bonito flakes). As usual, this is topped with mayo, okonomi-yaki sauce (we used Otafuku brand, both regular and spicy), pickled and julienned red ginger, aonori dried laver and finally bonito flakes. Actually, this is the third time we tried okonomi-yaki with pork belly. We were trying to find a way to make the pork crispy rather than chewy. This time, the result was the best. We’re really starting to like okonomi-yaki.

Ingredients: (makes one 8 inch pancake)
For batter
56g “Otafuku” okonomi-yaki flour (or you can just use cake flour)
92g water
1 egg

150g shredded cabbage
3 scallions, finely chopped
Tenkasu tempura bits
1/2 tbs vegetable oil (for cooking)

4 slices of thinly sliced pork belly (or smoked bacon; to make “Bethesda Maryland style” okonomi-yaki)

For toppings
Mayonnaise
Okonomi-yaki sauce (I used a mixture of regular and spicy sauces)
Julienned ginger in sweet vinegar or “Kizami ginger 刻み生姜”
Dried “aonori 青海苔” laver
Kezuribushi 削り節 bonito shavings

Directions:
Mix the flour, water, and egg, add the cabbage and scallion and mix. Add the oil in the frying pan on medium-low flame (400F using laser thermometer). Add the batter mixture into the frying pan and press into 2cm thick round. Top it with the tempura bits and thin slices of pork belly seasoned with salt and pepper (#1). Cook for 4 minutes. Flip it (#2). Put on the lid and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the lid and flip again (#3). Some of the tempura bits will get browned. Cook without a lid for another 3 minutes. Take it our to the cutting board or plate.

Smear the surface with the mayo (I added a small amount of sugar and rice vinegar to emulate Japanese Kewpie mayo) and sauce (#4). For toppings, scatter the ginger and aonori (#4). Finally add the bonito flakes (the first serving picture).

This version really worked. The pork came out more crispy than the previous pork versions of okonomi-yaki (which we did not blog about). The oil of the pork belly adds additional flavor to the pancake. (We found using the smoked bacon used for the Bethesda style okonomi-yaki came out more crispy than the pork belly. The bacon also added more rich meat flavor.)

Seafood Okonomi-yaki 海鮮お好み焼き

Although, as we mentioned in a previous blog, we had it several times in Japan and were not impressed, we are re-discovering “Okonomi-yaki お好み焼き” the Japanese style savory pancake. We are finding we like the ones we are making much better than the ones we had in Japan. “Okonomi” means “as you like” or “whatever you like”. “Yaki” means grill/fry. So the literal translation of Okonomi-yaki means “whatever you like fry”. As you would expect, given its name, this pancake is made with whatever you prefer or have on hand which is then added to the traditional cabbage and batter base. Since we had shredded Japanese cabbage (from Suzuki Farm), we decided to finish up the cabbage by making a okonomi-yaki for lunch one day. We decided to go with seafood as the protein topping. We had frozen shrimp and frozen bay scallops. This turned out to be really great okonomi-yaki. Both the shrimp and scallops were not over cooked and all the toppings including bonito flakes worked. We shared one okonomi-yaki between the two of us and it was quite a filling lunch.

Ingredients: (makes one 8 inch pancake)
For batter
56g “Otafuku” okonomi-yaki flour (or you can just use cake flour)
92g water
1 egg

150g shredded cabbage
3 scallions, finely chopped
Tenkasu tempura bits
1/2 tbs vegetable oil (for cooking)

For seafood (#1 in the composite picture)
3 medium shrimp, shelled and halved and cut into small portions
12 bay scallops

For toppings
Mayonnaise
Okonomi-yaki sauce (I used a mixture of regular and spicy sauces)
Julienned ginger in sweet vinegar or “Kizami ginger 刻み生姜”
Dried “aonori 青海苔” laver
Kezuribushi 削り節 bonito shavings

Directions:
Mix the flour, water, and egg, add the cabbage and scallion and mix. Add the seafood (I cut the shrimp into small chunks except for two halves which I placed on the top (#2). Add the oil to the frying pan on medium-low flame (400F using laser thermometer). Add the batter mixture into the frying pan and press into 2cm thick round. Top it with the tempura bits (#2). Cook for 4 minutes. Flip it (#3). Place on the lid and cook for 4 minutes (later we tried with the lid or without and decided no need for the lid). Remove the lid and flip again (#4). Some of the tempura bits get browned. Cook without lid for another 2 minutes.

Smear the surface with the mayo (I added small amount of sugar and rice vinegar to emulate the traditional Japanese Kwepie mayo used) and sauce (#5). Scatter the ginger and aonori (#6). Finally add the bonito flakes (the first serving picture).

We are really liking these okonomi-yaki. Although we never made one with American style cabbage, the Asian style cabbage we used is much more tender. So, we think it is probably closer to the cabbage traditionally used and probably works better than the American cabbage. The pancake is tender and with all the ingredients has a good range of flavors. The shrimp and scallops in this version added a tender slight sweetness. The toppings, especially the ginger and mixture of spicy and regular okonomi-yaki sauce are a must have.

Okonomi-yaki Vegetarian Version ベジタリアンお好み焼き

Okomoni-yaki お好み焼きis a type of a Japanese savory pancake. It is especially popular in the cities of western Japan such as Osaka 大阪 and Hiroshima 広島 where many restaurants specialize in okonomi-yaki. Many years ago we had okonomi-yaki for lunch when we visited Himeji castle 姫路城. We went to a  local  okonomi-yaki restaurant we happened to see on our way to the station. The okonomi-yaki we had there must have been “Hiroshima-style”. We don’t remember the details of the dish we ate but we were both seriously under-whelmed. So, we have not tried it since then even on subsequent visits to Japan.

Recently, we got together with some good friends, who had recently visited Japan. They mentioned that they really liked okonomi-yaki. The wife is a vegetarian and, apparently, she had vegetarian okonomi-yaki in Japan and really liked it.  When they got back home they tried to recreate their enjoyable Japanese experience. Her husband called around to various Japanese restaurants in the area and while okonomi-yaki was on the menu of several of them none of them offered “vegetarian” okonomi-yaki.  They were extremely disappointed. Seeing how disappointed they were, my wife suggested that even though we were not particularly wild about the okonomi-yaki we had in Japan, maybe, given our access to Japanese ingredients and our experience in using those ingredients, we could make a vegetarian okonomi-yaki for our friends. Since we have never made one before, we had to study and experiment with this a bit.

We learned that there are two basic styles; Osaka and Hiroshima-styles. In both, two essential ingredients are a batter made of dashi broth and flour and shredded cabbage. In the Osaka style, the ingredients are mixed into the batter and cooked like a pancake. Hiroshima-style makes a thin pancake and layers it with the cabbage, noodles, and fried eggs. To make this at home, Osaka-style is easier, so that’s what we decided to make.

In terms of getting the sauce and premixed flour for okonomi-yaki, “Otafuku” U.S. web site is the best place. The “Otafuku” Japanese web site has instructions (in Japanese) and videos on how to make either Hiroshima or Osaka-style okonomi-yaki at home. It appears most of the items such as vegetarian sauces, and tempura bits are available from the US Otafuku site. We got their okonomi-yaki kit (which included a vegetarian “Otafuku” pre-mixed flour and two vegetarian sauces; one the traditional sauce and one a spicy sauce) as well as a bag of vegetarian tempura bits. (Traditionally the tempura bits have dried squid or shrimp in them so it required some effort of make sure the tempura bits I got were vegetarian.)

As a test, we first made an okonomi-yaki in the non-vegetarian traditional style with thin strips of pork belly. Although the “Otafuku” pre-mixed flour I bought was vegetarian this was the first okonomi-yaki I ever made and I wanted to see how something made with the correct mixture of ingredients would turn out. The resulting okonomi-yaki was pretty good. So, I got adventurous and decided to make a vegetarian version from scratch using a recipe I found on the internet. I made the pancake batter with cake flour, grated nagaimo 長芋 (Japanese mountain yam) and homemade vegetarian broth. We topped this with mayo, spicy “otafuku” sauce, “aonori” 青のり dried laver, and “kizami shoga 刻み生姜” julienned pickled ginger. The “spicy” sauce was not too spicy but gradually the heat creeps up on you. Although, the pancake we made was the size usually served to one person, we divided the pancake between the two of us and it was more than enough. This was quite a decent okomomi-yaki. (Infinately better than the one we remembered). The difference between using the “Otafuku” pre-mixed flour vs homemade vegetarian batter was subtle but the homemade one was a bit more moist maybe due to the grated “nagaimo”.

Ingredients (makes one 7-8 inch pancake)
50 grams cake flour
40 grams vegetarian broth*
1 egg
40 grams grated Nagaimo 長芋
100 grams shredded cabbage (I basically eyeballed the amount)
4-5 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
Abura-age 油揚げ, half (optional, I used it to suggest the flavor of pork meat in a vegetarian version)
finely chopped scallions (3-4 tbs but the amount is arbitrary)
1 tbs vegetable oil

Tenkasu 天かす tempura bits (3-4 tbs but the amount is arbitrary)

Topping
Mayonnaise (the authentic Japanese mayo is Kewpie)
Okonomi-yaki sauce (I used the ones I got from Otafuku; one regular and the other spicy, both are vegetarian)

Julienned ginger in sweet vinegar (Kizami-shouga 刻み生姜), store bought
Dried “Aomori 青のり” laver 

* I made this from kelp and dried shiitake mushrooms. Add dried kelp (3x2inch) and 3-4 small dried shiitake mushrooms to cold water and let hydrate for 30 minutes. Then place the pot on a low flame. When it starts boiling, turn off the heat and let it steep for 1-2 hours until the broth cools to room temperature. Remove the kelp and shiitake mushrooms.  

Directions:
Mix the flour, broth, and egg to make a batter, add the cabbage and mushroom and cook in an 8 inch non-stick flying pan with vegetable oil on medium low flame, Top with the tempura bits and, (if using) place the fried tofu on the top (#1 in the composite picture) and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. and then flip the pancake (#2). Place the lid on the pan and continue cooking for 3 more minutes then flip it again (#3). Let it cook for 3 more minutes with the lid off . 

Smear on the mayo, scatter the ginger (#4). Smear on the sauces and sprinkle on the aonori. Serve hot (the first picture).

The two versions of okonomi-yaki we made (the non-vegetarian version is the subject for a separate post) were much better than what we remembered. The pickled ginger and a combination of the traditional and spicy sauce are a “must have” really making the entire enterprise.