Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki

Cheese and shrimp okonomiyaki (above) fully seasoned with sauce, mayonnaise, katsuobushi and aonori in Osaka, Japan
Origin
Place of origin	Japan
Region or state	Japanese-speaking areas
Dish details
Course served	Snack
Main ingredient(s)	Cabbage
Variations	Regional variations

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き^?) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. Tokyo okonomiyaki is usually smaller than a Hiroshima or Kansai okonomiyaki.

Kansai area

A lantern beckoning customers into an okonomiyaki restaurant

Kansai- or Osaka-style okonomiyaki is the predominant version of the dish, found throughout most of Japan. The batter is made of flour, grated yam, water or dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (generally pork or bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, kimchi, mochi or cheese. Okonomiyaki is sometimes compared to an omelette or a pancake and may be referred to as "a Japanese pancake" or even "Osaka soul food".^[1]

Some okonomiyaki restaurants are grill-it-yourself establishments, where the server produces a bowl of raw ingredients that the customer mixes and grills at tables fitted with teppan, or special hotplates. They may also have a diner-style counter where the cook prepares the dish in front of the customers.

In Osaka (the largest city in the Kansai region), where this dish is said to have originated, okonomiyaki is prepared much like a pancake. The batter and other ingredients are fried on both sides on either a teppan or a pan using metal spatulas that are later used to slice the dish when it has finished cooking. Cooked okonomiyaki is topped with ingredients that include otafuku/okonomiyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce but thicker and sweeter), aonori (seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger (beni shoga).

Variants

When served with a layer of fried noodles (either yakisoba or udon), the resulting dish is called modanyaki (モダン焼き^?) "modern yaki".

Negiyaki (ねぎ焼き^?) is a thinner variation of okonomiyaki made with a great deal of scallions; compare Korean pajeon and Chinese green onion pancakes.

Hiroshima area

A man preparing okonomiyaki in a restaurant in Hiroshima

In Hiroshima, the ingredients are layered rather than mixed together. The layers are typically batter, cabbage, pork, and optional items such as squid, octopus, and cheese. Noodles (yakisoba, udon) are also used as a topping with fried egg and a generous amount of okonomiyaki sauce.

The amount of cabbage used is usually three to four times the amount used in the more common Osaka style. It starts out piled very high and is pushed down as the cabbage cooks. The order of the layers may vary slightly depending on the chef's style and preference, and ingredients vary depending on the preference of the customer. People from Hiroshima claim that this is the correct way to make okonomiyaki. This style is also called Hiroshima-yaki or Hiroshima-okonomi.

Okonomi-mura, in Naka-ku in Hiroshima, was the top food theme park destination for families in Japan according to an April 2004 poll.^[2][3]

Other areas

Tsukishima town in Tokyo is popular for both okonomiyaki and monjayaki. Monjayaki is a liquid, runny variant of okonomiyaki. The main street of this town is called Monja Street.^[4]

In Hamamatsu, takuan (pickled daikon) is mixed in okonomiyaki.

In Okinawa, okonomiyaki is called hirayachi (ヒラヤーチー) and is thinner than in other areas. People cook it at home, so there are few okonomiyaki restaurants in Okinawa, with none of them serving hirayachi.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Japanese cuisine
• Jeon
• Bindaetteok
• Hirayachi - Okinawa
• Pannekoek the Dutch pancake with many fillings
• Teppanyaki
• Takoyaki
• Egg foo young
• Pajeon
• Bánh xèo

References

1. ^ Hanamiweb [1]>
2. ^ "「お好み村」が家族で行ってみたいフードテーマパークで1位に！ ["Okonomi-mura" the #1 food theme park families want to visit!]" (in Japanese). Hiroshima Home Television. May 3, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5uuBOF5jV. 
3. ^ 牛田泰正 (Yasumasa Uchida) (Spring 2007). "観光地における飲食業 [The food and drink industry in sightseeing areas]" (in Japanese) (PDF). p. 50. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5uuDHPwrW. Retrieved December 11, 2010. 
4. ^ Food for Thought Okonomiyaki vs. Monjayaki!

External links

Media related to Okonomiyaki at Wikimedia Commons

• Rick LaPointe, Okonomi-yaki, as you like it, and you will. The Japan Times: July 28, 2002
• Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (Photos)
• Fukuoka-style Okonomiyaki (Photo)
• Michan Okonomiyaki Hiroshima - English menu
• Otafuku Foods - a manufacturer of okonomiyaki sauce. Recipes of Hiroshima- and Kansai-styles, and monjayaki.
• Japanese pizza for Lunch anyone? How to make Okonomiyaki at Home