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What is Tonpeiyaki?
Tonpeiyaki (とん平焼き) is a quick and easy dish made with thin slices of crispy pork belly and shredded cabbage encased in a tender omelette and drizzled with a tangy homemade okonomi sauce. It’s essentially the lighter, fluffier, and easier version of okonomiyaki.
Tonpeiyaki is a type of teppanyaki that is often regarded as “B-class gurume” (B級グルメ) in Japan. B-class is a cheap and easy dish that isn’t classy or “gourmet” but is still incredibly delicious.
You usually find Tonpeiyaki in okonomiyaki restaurants and izakayas in the Kansai region (Western Japan). It was initially created by the owner of “Hon Tonpei” who invented the recipe inspired by his time in Russia.
Usually, tonpeiyaki is more of an appetizer, side dish, or snack, so I recommend serving it with other things. It’s quite popular to enjoy it with beer, too!
How I Developed This Recipe
Have you ever had that feeling of discovering a hidden treasure? It’s not a well-known dish, but I promise you, Tonpeiyaki is amazing! My goal was to recreate the authentic flavors you’d find in a Japanese okonomiyaki or teppanyaki restaurant.
It took some practice, but I got there in the end. Guess what? All you need is a frying pan!
If you’re looking for a quick lunch or want to add some flair to your dinner, this dish is perfect. Ready to try a Japanese hidden gem in your cooking?
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Okonomi Sauce: If you’re short on time, go for a store-bought version. Or, if you’d like to get creative, blend Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, honey, and soy sauce for a homemade one.
- Medium Eggs:The foundation of perfect tonpeiyaki.
- Whole Milk: While whole milk is ideal, skim milk can serve as a substitute.
- Green Cabbage: In tonpeiyaki, cabbage is cooked separately from the other ingredients. Whether you choose white or green, any coleslaw-friendly cabbage will do.
- Green Onion: This should be finely chopped for the best texture.
- Thinly Sliced Pork Belly: Modern recipes often use pork belly instead of the traditional pork loin because it has a better texture and flavor. If you can’t get the original ingredient, unsmoked bacon is a great substitute.
- Japanese Mayonnaise: For a more authentic taste, use Japanese-style mayonnaise, which has a richer, slightly tangy flavor. You can make it at home (check out my Kewpie copycat recipe!) or use a store-bought version. If you’re short on time, regular mayonnaise will do.
- Green Laver Powder (Aonori): This dried seaweed powder gives tonpeiyaki a unique flavor and green flecks that look pretty on the plate. It’s a classic ingredient, but if you can’t find it, don’t worry. The dish will still be tasty without it. For a similar visual effect, try sprinkling with dried parsley, but the flavor will be different.
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Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Tonpeiyaki at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Of course, it’s fine to use store-bought, but why not whip up your own okonomi sauce using Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, honey, and soy sauce? It only takes a minute, uses accessible ingredients and you can play with the ratios to suit your taste!
Crack the eggs into the bowl and add 1 tbsp of milk for every egg you use. Whisk until smooth.
Heat a pan on medium and add a drizzle of oil. Add shredded cabbage and chopped green onion with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir fry until slightly softened. Once done, transfer to a plate.
Using the same pan, add the pork belly and fry until the meat is cooked and the fat is crispy. Once done, transfer to the plate with the cabbage.
Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper if necessary and lower the heat to medium-low. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and fry the omelette in a thin layer of leftover pork fat.
Once the omelette is half cooked (still runny on top), place the cabbage and green onion through the center and top it with the crispy pork belly.
Eggs tend to continue cooking even after they are removed from the heat source, and because of this, it is easy to overcook eggs. To avoid an overly firm and rubbery omelette, add the fillings when the egg is half-cooked and remove them from the heat just before it’s fully cooked. This will ensure the egg is soft and fluffy!
Use a spatula to carefully peel the edges away from the pan and check that none of the omelette is stuck. Fold over two parallel edges to form an omelette shape and remove the pan from the heat.
Flip the tonpeiyaki onto a plate and coat with your homemade okonomi sauce, a drizzle of Japanese mayonnaise and a sprinkle of aonori.
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
Given the semi-cooked state of the eggs in this tonpeiyaki recipe, it’s not ideal for refrigeration or freezing. Since it’s not a large dish, it’s best to prepare just the amount you plan to consume.
FAQ
Like okonomiyaki, tonpeiyaki’s main ingredients are pork, cabbage, and egg, drizzled with the rich flavors of creamy Japanese mayonnaise and tangy okonomi sauce.
While okonomiyaki is made with a batter that contains flour and is round like a pancake, tonpeiyaki doesn’t have any flour and is usually shaped into an oval or rolled more like an omelet.
You could say that tonpeiyaki is like an omelet with an okonomiyaki twist!
I hope you enjoy this Tonpeiyaki recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Teppanyaki Recipes
- Osaka Style Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savory Pancake)
- Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki (Japanese Layered Savory Pancake with Noodles)
- Monjayaki (Teppan Fried Batter)
Tonpeiyaki (Pork Belly and Cabbage Omelette)
Ingredients
Homemade Okonomiyaki Sauce
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp soy sauce
Tonpeiyaki
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 50 g green cabbage shredded
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp green onion finely chopped
- 100 g thin sliced pork belly approx 4 slices
- 1 tsp Japanese style mayonnaise
- 1 pinch dried green laver powder (aonori) aonori
Instructions
Homemade Okonomiyaki Sauce
- Mix ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp honey and ½ tsp soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside for later.
Tonpeiyaki
- Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk with 2 tbsp whole milk. Set aside for later.
- Heat a pan on medium and add 1 tsp cooking oil. Once hot, add 50 g green cabbage and 1 tbsp green onion to the pan with 1 pinch salt and pepper. Stir fry the cabbage until slightly softened then transfer to a plate.
- In the same pan, add 100 g thin sliced pork belly and fry on medium until sealed on both sides and the fat is crispy.
- Take the pork out of the pan and transfer to the plate with the cabbage.
- Turn down the heat to medium low and wipe out any excess pork fat with kitchen paper if necessary. Add the egg mixture to the pan, cooking it in the leftover fat from the pork.
- Fry the egg until half cooked, then place the cabbage through the center of the egg and place the pork slices on top. Be careful not to let the underneath get brown, lower the heat if necessary.
- Fold over two parallel edges to form an omelette shape.
- Turn the tonpeiyaki out onto a plate and then drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and 1 tsp Japanese style mayonnaise. Sprinkle with 1 pinch dried green laver powder (aonori) for the finishing touch.
- Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe. I am currently in Japan and enjoyed my first tonpeiyaki. I really wanted to recreate this dish once I returned home, so I am pleased to come across this recipe. Can’t wait to try it. It looks exactly like the meal I ate today in Tokyo!!
Hi Angie,
Thank you for the comment, I’m glad you found this recipe! Looking forward to hearing how it goes when you make it back home! 🙂
Yuto