Okonomiyaki

Update: We have been enjoying the luxury of having homemade Okonomiyaki since this recipe was first posted. But having finally bought beni-shoga (from a Japanese grocery) and tenkasu (from our prev Japan trip), I had to give it another go with these 2 ingredients. 

While I can't taste or identify the tenkasu but it's there, doing its job. For me, it was the tiny bits of beni-shoga that completes how I think Okonomiyaki should taste like. Although I'm still missing nagaimo, I'm happy to say this tastes pretty authentic and very similar to the ones I've had in Japan. Hubs even said it now tastes better than some of the ones we had in the Japanese temple fairs. *blushes* I'm so flattered, but the credit doesn't goes to me. 

I've also tried topping it with an onsen tamago this time. But to make room for the egg, I changed how I usually "decorate" the okonomiyaki and cut back on the mayonnaise. Surprisingly, the creaminess from the liquid yolk replaced the missing mayonnaise and I didn't miss it very much. Good news for my heart and waist! Haha! 

For those who don't have tenkasu or beni-shoga, don't worry, this recipe is still very delicious without the optional ingredients. Now that dashi and katsuobushi can be found easily (even in Daiso!), it's time to try making okonomiyaki at home!

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When Okonomiyaki was first available in the basement of Takashimaya shopping centre in Singapore, it was one of my favorite Japanese food. No visits are done without queuing for one, and gobbling up the hot Okonomiyaki by the fountain.

With an open face "dough" and various toppings to choose from (like an Italian pizza), it was dubbed the "Japanese Pizza". I can kinda see the physical resemblance but its taste is far more complex and full of umami-ness than a pizza. Or maybe it was the crunchy cabbage against the soft batter, maybe it was the tangy okonomi sauce or the added tenkasu, or just the pure fascination seeing katsuobushi "dance" in the hot steam (never fail to ask for more katsuobushi too, glutton me), I was hooked onto Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki (makes 2 large 8" round, serves 2)
(recipe modified from here)

Batter
60g Plain flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

10g Spring Onions aka Scallions aka Green Onions

100g homemade Dashi or 100g water with 5-7g Hondashi (more or less to taste)

2 Eggs

Salt to taste 

300g Cabbage, diced

Toppings
3-5 Sliced Pork Belly

Okonomi Sauce

Japanese Mayonnaise 

Katsuobushi 

Aonori (Dried Seaweed)
Beni-Shoga (Red Pickled Ginger)
Spring Onions

Optional (to add into batter)
1"-1.5" piece of Nagaimo, grated

1 tbsp Beni-Shoga, finely chopped

10g Tenkasu aka Agedama (Fried Tempura Bits)

1. Whisk to combine all ingredients for batter. Add cabbage and mix evenly. Leave batter to stand in fridge for 30 mins.

2. In a large frying pan, over medium high heat, briefly cook bacon for some of that lovely fat. Bacon shouldn't be totally cooked. If not using bacon, coat pan with 1 tbsp of oil.


3. Add batter onto pan, try to smooth it out using the back of a spoon, so that the okonomiyaki doesn't turn out too thick. Lay the bacon on the okonomiyaki, tuck in any "stray" vegetables around the sides for a nicer shape. Cover and cook for 3-5 mins (depending on the okonomiyaki size).

4. Check that the bottom is browned, turn over, cover and cook for another 3-5 mins.

5. Turn over one more time, and cook uncovered for 2 mins. Transfer to plate.

6. Top with okonomi sauce, japanese mayonnaise, aonori, spring onions and more katsuobushi (I love this stuff) and/or any other toppings you like. Best eaten while still hot!

Thoughts: This recipe might not be the most authentic, since I have neither beni-shoga nor tenkasu added to the batter, and I used bacon instead of pork belly (same same but different lol). But with limited access to Japanese ingredients and just using whatever I brought over from Singapore and Japan, the flavors are good enough to curb my cravings.

There is just enough "dough" to hold the cabbage together, so the okonomiyaki isn't too filling and you can enjoy the sweet crunchy cabbage. However, I probably overcooked the batter so it turned out chewier than I prefer, like the ones I had from roadside stalls in Japan, flavorsome but a little too chewy. Judging when to flip the okonomiyaki comes with experience; it's also dependent on how thick your dough is or how hot the pan is. Meh.. I just have to cook it a lot more times.

I used to think that only street vendors can produce a delicious okonomiyaki. I realized I was wrong when I had a major disappointing one at "Twilight Hawkers Market", down in the city previously. It was a fairly sized market with dozens of hawkers covering food from all over the world, French crêpe, Indian prata, Malaysian satay, Turkish Shakshuka and many more. Yet I had to go queue 30 mins for a thick, doughy and worse of all, bland okonomiyaki with little cabbage (and it cost A$10! wth). It was a piece of tough beyond chewy pancake with absolutely no taste of dashi or salt, for that matter. *sigh* No worries now that I can make it at home whenever I want, with whatever ingredients and as much as I want!

Shall we have okonomiyaki again tonight?

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