Okonomiyaki: a recipe from Japan — Gluten Free Weekend (2024)

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Eleonora Valenti

easy recipe, glutenfree, gluten free, japan, japanese food, ononomiyaki, umami

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Main

Eleonora Valenti

easy recipe, glutenfree, gluten free, japan, japanese food, ononomiyaki, umami

10 Comments

Okonomiyaki: a recipe from Japan — Gluten Free Weekend (1)

Japanese food is one of my favorite in the whole world. Am I the only one feeling it?

I don't know how to explain why. Perhaps it's because when I traveled around Japan I discovered that there's a whole world beyond sushi food.

The incredible variety, the respect for tradition and seasonal food, the constant pursuit of the umami flavour (the fifth taste, for savoury) makes Japanese food a unique experience.

After my first trip (of many) I started experimenting different traditional Japanese dishes, to make them fully gluten-free, so I will be sharing the recipes little by little.

I'm starting with Okonomiyaki because it's quite easy and fast to cook, and the result is so satisfying!

Okonomiyaki is a filling pancake that you can prepare with different ingredients. The base is always shredded cabbage with a light batter, traditionally topped with pork stripes, sauce, mayo, ground seaweed and Japanese dried fish flakes (bonito).

The fun part is that if you go to a Japanese Okonomiyaki restaurant, most of the time the pancake is cooked in front of your eyes in a hot-plate in the middle of the dining table. And you can choose different ingredients in the mix: shrimps, squid, cheese, shiitake mushrooms and so on.

This is the typical Osaka version, but there are many other versions in Japan, including some with grilled noodles.

All of them are absolutely delicious, or as the Japanese would say: "Oishii"!

Other Japanese recipes on this blog:

  • Ramen (a hot bowl of deliciousness, learn to make your gluten-free noodles too)

  • Onigiri ( the traditional rice ball wrapped in a strip of dry seaweed, visible in many Japanese anime)

  • Dorayaki (the sweet delicious and fluffy pancake filled with sweet redbean paste, you might recognize it if you watched Doraemon)

Ingredients (makes 2)

For the sauce (option 1)*

  • 5 tbsp ketchup

  • 2 tbsp Gluten-free Soy sauce (Tamari Kikkoman or other GF certified option)

  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (GF options here, or scroll down for Option 2)

For garnishing:

  • Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie is the most popular brand)

  • Shaved dried bonito (katsuboshi)

  • Ground green nori seaweed

Making Your Own Okonomiyaki

  1. Wash the cabbage in cold water and shred it in very thin stripes. Chop the spring onions and set aside.

  2. Prepare the batter beat the eggs with the water in a bowl, then add the gluten-free flour and baking soda mix little by little. Whisk well until all the lumps are dissolved. Combine the shredded cabbage and onion to the batter (and pickled ginger if you have).

  3. Put a non-stick pan over medium-heat. Warm it up for 5 minutes, then brush the top with a little oil (sesame or seeds). Pour 1/2 the mix into the hot pan and spread evenly, cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. In you would like to add the pork slices or shrimps, this is the time: add them on top of the batter.

  4. Flip the Okonomiyaki on the other side, you can use a spatula or the lid, as you prefer. Cook for 4 more minutes. In the meantime prepare the Okonomiyaki sauce in a little bowl by mixing the 3 ingredients with a spoon (scroll down for the 2nd sauce option if you struggle to find Gluten Free Worcestershire sauce).

  5. When the pancake is cooked place it in a big plate (with the pork or shrimps on top) and follow the order to garnish it: First brush the top with half the sauce, then add Japanese mayonnaise in zigzagging lines. Finally sprinkle with the ground seaweed and dried bonito flakes.

    Repeat the cooking and garnishing for the 2nd pancake. Enjoy this amazing dish, with chopsticks if you can!

Okonomiyaki: a recipe from Japan — Gluten Free Weekend (3)

TIPS: Eat the Okonomiyaki while hot, it's not generally preserved after the meal. If you would like to customize it with other ingredients, just add them to the batter together with the cabbage.

*SAUCE 2: Most of the times I opt for a lighter and less processed sauce, a sort of Teriyaki Gluten Free. In a sauce pan mix these ingredients (room temperature):

Mix well until smooth, place on low heat until just before it boils and it become a dense sauce.

I absolutely love Japanese food, you too?

Japanese Soul Cooking is one of my favourite Japanese cook books of all times. Both my husband and I have tried many of the delicious recipes. Easy, step by step, and the results have been amazing, Cooking these dishes will immediately make you feel like you are in Japan.

Get a copy!

Eleonora Valenti

Okonomiyaki: a recipe from Japan — Gluten Free Weekend (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour for okonomiyaki? ›

The best think is to use regular flour, but then also add some yam starch or potato starch or rice flour to make the batter more sticky. See the Alternative Batter Recipes. Okonomi Sauce Substitutes: If you don't have Okonomi sauce on hand you can make your own.

What are the ingredients for okonomiyaki? ›

Ingredients
  • ½ a head cabbage, finely chopped (about 500g)
  • 2 tbsp benishouga (red pickled ginger)
  • ½ cup tenkasu (tempura batter bits)
  • Okonomiyaki batter.
  • 2 cups plain flour.
  • ½ cup potato flour (or cornflour)
  • 1½ cups bonito stock (see page XX), chicken stock, or water.
  • 2 eggs.

What is Japanese traditional food okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a popular pan-fried dish that consists of batter and cabbage. Selected toppings and ingredients are added which can vary greatly (anything from meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese). This variability is reflected in the dish's name; "okonomi" literally means "to one's liking".

What does okonomiyaki mean in Japanese? ›

The word "okonomiyaki" is derived from "okonomi" meaning "as you like" and "yaki" meaning "grilled. It's commonly referred to as being a Japanese pancake. Accurate to its name, okonomiyaki can be served with a variety of toppings which include everything from meat and seafood to vegetables and cheese.

What to use instead of okonomiyaki flour? ›

If you cannot find okonomiyaki flour, use 100g of plain flour mixed with 2g of dashi stock powder and 1 tsp of baking powder.

What kind of yam is used in okonomiyaki? ›

Yamaimo is Japanese mountain yam, a long root vegetable with thin, light brown skin and a slippery internal texture. (It can be omitted.) Hondashi is granulated dashi powder. (Water can be used in its place.)

Which cabbage is best for okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki is traditionally made with dashi, the essential Japanese soup stock, so if you have it, please use it in place of the vegetable stock. Half a regular-sized cabbage is all you'll need for this recipe and you could also substitute with purple cabbage.

Is okonomiyaki good for you? ›

This fiber increases performance in the stomach and intestines, removes excessive fat, and works to expel cholesterol and salt from the body. Dietary fiber is easily ingested by eating Okonomiyaki, and it is great for your overall health.

Why is my okonomiyaki soggy? ›

Make sure you only add the batter to the vegetables at the last minute before cooking. If you leave the vegetables in the batter too long, the water will come out and you'll have a soggy mess that's impossible to flip without breaking.

What is the Tokyo version of okonomiyaki? ›

A type of pan-fried batter or savoury pancake, monjayaki is Tokyo's answer to okonomiyaki, the iconic dish of Hiroshima and Osaka. Monjayaki retains a slightly runny appearance much like melted cheese even when cooked – but the delicious concoction tastes better than it looks.

What is that flaky stuff on okonomiyaki? ›

Bonito flakes - known as katsuobushi in Japanese - are a strange food upon first sight. They are known to move or dance when used as a topping on foods such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

What is the cousin of okonomiyaki? ›

A close cousin to okonomiyaki is hiroshimayaki, or Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

How much does okonomiyaki cost in Japan? ›

Cheap street food like okonomiyaki, takoyaki, ramen, soba and udon costs between 500 and 1,000 JPY (4.60 to 9.25 USD).

What is a fun fact about okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with two distinct variants from Hiroshima or the Kansai region of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country, with toppings and batters varying by area. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "how you like" or "what you like", and yaki, meaning "grilled".

Which meal is okonomiyaki usually eaten? ›

It's a common enough dinner and lunch option. Having said that, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is a popular festival street-stall food.

What is okonomiyaki flour mix? ›

Okonomiyaki Flour Mix uses Japanese domestically produced wheat. Its ground specifically for pancake is pre-mixed with powdered “Dashi”(broth) such as Bonito flake, Kelp, and yam. It makes your Okonomi-Yaki very fluffy. Therefore it's delicate, rich, and delicious as if at an authentic Okonomiyaki restaurant in Japan.

What kind of flour is used in Japan? ›

Aside from noodles, in Japan, we use wheat flour for sweets, bread, and tempura too. Commonly, hakurikiko (soft flour) is used for sweets and tempura batter, churikiko (medium flour) is for udon noodles, jun-kyorikiko (semi-hard flour) is for ramen noodles, and kyorikiko (hard flour) is used for bread.

Is durum flour the same as 00 flour? ›

No, Durum flour is made from durum wheat, 00 flour is an Italian designation for a fairly soft wheat flour used for making pizza crusts. If you need to substitute, you can use All Purpose Unbleached Flour to approximate 00 flour.

What flour do Japanese use? ›

Hard wheat produced in the US and Canada is mainly used to produce the bread flour sold in Japan. Medium-hard wheat produced in Australia and Japan is mainly used to produce the all-purpose flour sold in Japan. Soft wheat produced in the US is mainly used to produce the cake flour sold in Japan.

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