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Osaka Okonomiyaki – As You Like It

Osaka okonomiyaki is often described as the Japanese equivalent of a pancake-pizza hybrid. You can see why it would be given that description – it has a pancake-type batter based around cabbage (but don’t let that put you off) with a variety of toppings – meat, fish, egg or veggie based – to choose from.

Osaka in the Kansai region is one home to okonomiyaki, although there other regional variations. (Hiroshima, for example, uses udon noodles in the pancake batter.) The city itself is bright and bustling, full of friendly locals and has an excellent food scene. The seafood on offer – crab, fugu (puffer fish), takoyaki (battered octopus balls) – is just wonderful, as it is all over Japan.

Okonomiyaki In Osaka

There are okonomiyaki restaurants all over Osaka (and indeed all over Japan). They offer a good, cheap eat, that is filling and fun. Part of this fun is that you will see your meal being cooked in front of you. In some restaurants they will even let you cook it yourself!

The term ‘okonomiyaki’ actually derives from ‘okonomi’ – favourites, ‘yaki’ – grilled.  There are three basic elements to the dish:

The pancake base which comprises flour, eggs, dashi (stock), yam powder (optional) and cabbage. The fabulous Osaka all-female pop-punk band Shonen Knife, who have been touring since the early 1980s and are still going strong, love okonomiyaki and have a recipe for it in their Shonen Knife Land book. Naoko, the founding member of the band, recommends a cabbage cutting technique:  ”Finely chop the cabbage. It should be in small square pieces maybe about 3mm long.It would take a lot of time and be a lot of trouble if you use a ruler to measure the pieces, so it’s OK to just guess.”

Fabulous Fillings

The filling can basically be anything you like – that’s where the ‘okonomi’ comes into its own. Favourite fillings can include sliced pork or beef, shrimp, squid, konnyaku (a gelatin textured food, also known as Devil’s Tongue) and vegetarians may enjoy pretty much any veg they can think of. Spicy fermented Korean kimchi is great if you decide that there isn’t enough cabbage in the dish already.

The topping is the piece de resistance which adds to both the deliciousness and the sheer joy of okonomiyaki. When asked what topping you would like, we recommend asking for EVERYTHING! Okonomiyaki sauce is a tangy brown sauce (a little like the UK’s HP Sauce), creamy Japanese mayo, chilli sauce for those who like it hot, sprinkles of dried seaweed called aonori, and katsuobushi which are dried & smoked Bonito flakes that wave delightfully in the heat of the pancake. The chefs will go out of their way to make it look stunning as well.

 Osaka Okonomiyaki

Oh, and there’s also the option of a fried egg!

 Osaka Okonomiyaki

Osaka okonomiyaki is a dish that somehow manages to be both humble and decadent. It’s pretty easy to make at home to

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2 Comments

  1. […] Okonomiyaki, which translates as ‘as you like it’, is often described as a cross between a pancake and a pizza. It’s a cabbage based batter (but don’t let that put you off – it’s really delicious) with multiple fillings and toppings. Some establishments have a chef prepare the okonomiyaki, others will let you sit at the griddle and you can cook it yourself. […]

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