Bacon

Okonomiyaki (Savory Japanese Cabbage Pancake)

by:
October  4, 2022
4.4
5 Ratings
Okonomiyaki (Savory Japanese Cabbage Pancake)
Photo by Bobbi lin
  • Makes 1 big pancake, large enough to split
Author Notes

You can find dashi powder, tenkasu, and the condiments for serving at your local Japanese market, or in the Asian foods section of the grocery store. Additionally, some markets carry special okonomiyaki flour, which includes flavorings and a little yam starch to give the pancake a spongier consistency; if you use this specialized flour, only add the water per the recipe below, and skip the dashi stock powder. —Kendra Vaculin

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For pancake:
  • 1/3 teaspoon dashi stock powder
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons tenkasu (tempura bits)
  • 2 cups cabbage, chopped into thin strips
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • 3 to 4 strips bacon, chopped into 2 to 3 inch-long pieces
  • For serving:
  • Kewpie mayo (regular works fine too!)
  • Okonomi sauce (or a homemade version: 3 tablespoons ketchup plus 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce plus 1/2 teaspoon honey)
  • Aonori (seaweed flakes)
  • Sesame seeds
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, mix the dashi stock powder into the water until it dissolves. Whisk in the flour, egg, and tenkasu to make a batter.
  2. Add in the cabbage and most of the green onion (reserving a pinch). Fold into the batter until combined.
  3. Heat a large greased pan over medium-high. Dump the cabbage batter into the pan; using a small spatula, flatten batter top and edges into a round pancake about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. I've found that the less craggy the edges of the pancake, the easier it is to flip.
  4. Cover the top of the pancake with the bacon pieces in a single layer. Cook pancake this way for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip—using a big-old flat spatula—so the bacon-side is down. Cook until bacon has crisped, about 5 minutes, and then flip again to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, bacon side up.
  5. Slide pancake onto a large plate. If your mayonnaise and okonomi sauce aren’t in squeeze bottles, scoop a spoonful of each into a bottom corner of separate plastic bags. Snip the corner with scissors to allow for precision-squirting. Zig-zag the okonomi sauce over the top in one direction, and the Kewpie (or regular) mayo in the other. Sprinkle remaining green onions, aonori, and sesame seeds over the sauces.
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  • msmely
    msmely
  • ChefJune
    ChefJune
  • Elizabeth
    Elizabeth
  • Nance
    Nance
  • Jennifer King
    Jennifer King
Kendra Vaculin

Recipe by: Kendra Vaculin

A fan of female driven comedies, a good beat, your hair today, and making foods for friends.

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14 Reviews

msmely
msmely January 11, 2020
anybody tried this with rice krispies instead of tenkasu?
 
ChefJune
ChefJune August 9, 2016
I lovve Okonomiyaki, and have been making this one https://food52.com/recipes/12352-okonomiyaki since it was posted 5 years ago. It's divine.
 
Elizabeth
Elizabeth June 1, 2016
I followed a couple of these suggestions in using a grated potato for starchiness, some fried onions, a couple dashes of fish sauce, charring the cabbage (in a bit of bacon grease!), and it was great. this truly is a "how you like it" dish.
 
Nance
Nance October 18, 2015
Some subs from a Japanese recipe and my invention are: use fish sauce instead of dashi powder, add no water but use more eggs, plus a grated, peeled potato for starch, fried onion bits for tenkasu, and add pickled ginger. For the topping, add lemon juice to mayo to "Kewpie" it, and also top with bonito shavings (which will "wave" as the heat rises - fun!)
 
Tom
Tom September 3, 2015
I lived in Japan and have been to okonomiyaki restaurants. They would usually put more toppings on okonomiyaki, such as potatoes, bacon and cheese, or noodles and seafood.
 
Jennifer K.
Jennifer K. September 3, 2015
Is it 3/4ths of a strip of bacon or 3-4 strips?
 
Kendra V.
Kendra V. September 3, 2015
3 - 4 strips!
 
Jennifer K.
Jennifer K. September 3, 2015
Thank you!
 
valerie J.
valerie J. September 2, 2015
Will this be good without the bacon?
 
marsiamarsia
marsiamarsia September 1, 2015
To lisanrs: for answers to your question, see the "Author Notes" right under the photograph of the recipe, near the top of the page. ; -)
 
lisanrs
lisanrs September 1, 2015
Where do you find the dashi stock powder? Been looking (for another recipe) to no avail.
 
702551
702551 September 2, 2015
Asian grocery stores carry this. Unsurprisingly, one can find it at Amazon.com.
 
cyanpineapple
cyanpineapple August 31, 2015
We make this at home every weekend, and one thing we've found is that you can really amp up the flavor by charring the cabbage. We put it in the cast iron pan (or two) in a thin layer and give it a nice char before adding it (and green onions) directly to the batter.
 
Emily |.
Emily |. March 28, 2016
Great move with the charred cabbage - just tried it with your modification with tasty results!