# Japanese Okonomiyaki

> The batter in okonomiyaki is **a binder, not a base** — the cabbage is the dish. The right ratio is one cup of batter to four cups of cut cabbage. Extra batter turns it into a heavy pancake instead of a light, airy layer.

**Japanese Cuisine · 40 min · 3 servings · 380 kcal per serving**

Okonomiyaki means 'grill it how you like', because it is made with whatever is to hand. Cabbage and a light batter on a griddle, topped with a sweet-savoury sauce, lines of mayonnaise, and bonito flakes that wave in the steam. Osaka's most famous street food.

## Ingredients


### Dough
- 1 cup — flour
- 0.75 cup — cold dashi stock (or water)
- 2 — eggs
- 0.5 tsp — salt
- 0.5 tsp — baking powder

### The filling
- 0.5 — white cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
- 4 — spring onions
- 200 g — prawns or sliced beef (optional)

### Sauce
- 3 tbsp — ketchup
- 2 tbsp — soy sauce
- 2 tbsp — Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp — honey

### To serve
- 3 tbsp — mayonnaise
- 0.5 cup — bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- 1 tbsp — dried seaweed flakes (aonori)

## Method

1. **The batter** — Mix the flour, cold dashi, eggs, salt and baking powder into a smooth loose batter and chill it for 15 minutes.
2. **The cabbage** — Cut the cabbage into thin slices (not grated) 2-3 cm long. That coarse cut is what gives the crisp interior texture.
3. **Combine** — Fold the cabbage and spring onion **lightly** into the batter just before cooking. The cabbage should be lightly coated, not drowned.
4. **Cook** — On a greased griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat, pour in a third of the mixture and shape it into a disc 2 cm thick. Lay the prawns or beef on top.
5. **First side** — Cover and leave it **5 minutes without pressing it**. Pressing drives the air out and makes it dense.
6. **Flip** — Flip it carefully (using a plate or two pans) and cover for another 5 minutes.
7. **Serve** — Mix the sauce ingredients and brush the top, pipe lines of mayonnaise, and scatter the bonito flakes and seaweed. The bonito will wave in the steam.

## Tips

- Do not press the disc on the griddle — pressing drives out the air and makes it heavy.
- Cabbage in coarse slices, not grated — grated releases water and thins the batter.
- Fold the cabbage into the batter right before cooking, not ahead of time.
- Little batter and lots of cabbage — the cabbage is the dish, not the batter.

## FAQ

### What are bonito flakes?
Very thin shavings of dried, smoked bonito fish. They wave over the hot dish because of the steam — a signature moment of the dish. Optional if unavailable.

### What replaces okonomiyaki sauce?
The recipe above (ketchup + soy + Worcestershire + honey) is a very close substitute for the bottled sauce.

### Can it be vegetarian?
Easily — leave out the protein and the bonito, and add mushrooms and sweetcorn. The dish is essentially cabbage anyway.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/japanese-cuisine/japanese-okonomiyaki
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-29