If you love okonomiyaki, you're gonna love this dish! Tonpeiyaki is made with pork, cabbage and eggs drizzled with okonomi sauce and mayonnaise. It's essentially the lighter, fluffier and easier version of okonomiyaki. Best of all, it uses cheap and easily accessible ingredients and can be made in just 10 minutes!
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What is Tonpeiyaki (とん平焼き)?
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 kind of cheap and easy dish that isn't classy or "gourmet" but is totally delicious.
You would usually find Tonpeiyaki in okonomiyaki restaurants and izakayas in the Kansai region (Western Japan like Osaka). It was originally created by the owner of "Hon Tonpei" who invented the recipe inspired by his time in Russia.
Usually tonpeiyaki is more of a side dish than a main, so I recommend serving it with other things. It's quite a popular beer snack too!
The Difference between Tonpeiyaki and Okonomiyaki
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 contain any flour and is usually shaped into an oval or roll more like an omelette.
You could say that tonpeiyaki is more like an omelette with an okonomiyaki twist!
Tonpeiyaki Sauce
Like okononomiyaki, you would usually drizzle tonpeiyaki with okonomi sauce and mayonnaise.
In my recipe, I'll show you how to make okonomiyaki sauce with just a few simple ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce
You can also use ketchup or mustard on tonpeiyaki too.
If you don't want to make okonomiyaki sauce by yourself, you can purchase Japan's most popular brand "Otafuku Okonomi Sauce" on Amazon here. It's also vegan!
Main Ingredients for Tonpeiyaki
Here, I will list main ingredients to make tonpeiyaki. They're all simple and accessible so you can easily make it anytime!
- Egg
- Pork
- Cabbage
Egg
Without eggs, you cannot make tonpeiyaki! As I mentioned earler, tonpeiyaki is esentially a pork and cabbage omelette with okonomiyaki toppings!
One tip for making good tonpeiyaki is not overcooking the egg, taking it off the heat while it's still a bit runny is important!
Cabbage
Unlike okonomiyaki, the cabbage is cooked separately here! Again, without cabbage, tonpeiyaki won't be complete!
White cabbage or green cabbage, any cabbage that you'd use to make coleslaw is best for this dish.
Pork
Traditionally, pork loin was used for tonpeiyaki, but lots of people opt for thinly sliced pork belly instead. I personally think pork belly would add a good texture and flavour too!
Of course pork is an important element too, but I'd say it's not as crucial as the other main ingredients. And if you can't find thinly sliced pork belly, unsmoked bacon would also work for this recipe.
Step by step recipe
Tonpeiyaki (Pork and Cabbage Omelette)
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 1
Description
How to make fluffy, light and delicious Tonpeiyaki (とん平焼き)! A omelette type dish containing pork and shredded cabbage, topped with tangy, homemade okonomi sauce and creamy Japanese mayonnaise. (Serves 1)
Ingredients
Homemade Okonomiyaki Sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Tonpeiyaki
- 2 Medium eggs
- 2 tbsp Whole milk
- 1 tsp Oil
- 50g Cabbage shredded
- 1 Pinch salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp Spring onion finely chopped
- 100g Pork belly thinly sliced (approx 4 slices)
- Japanese Mayonnaise
- Aonori (dried seaweed powder)
Instructions
Homemade Okonomiyaki Sauce
- Mix 1 tbsp Worcester sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tsp honey and 1 tsp soy sauce in a small bowl.
Tonpeiyaki
- Crack two eggs into a bowl and whisk with 2 tbsp of milk. Set aside.
- Heat a pan on medium and add 1 tsp of oil. Once hot, add the shredded cabbage to the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir fry the cabbage until slightly softened. Transfer to a plate for later.
- In the same pan, add the pork belly and fry on medium until browned on both sides.
- Take the pork out of the pan and transfer to the plate with the cabbage.
- Turn down the heat to medium low and add the egg mixture to the pan, cooking it in the fat from the pork.
- Fry the egg until half cooked. Be careful not to let the surface get brown.
- Place the cabbage through the center of the egg and place the pork slices on top.
- Fold over each edge to make an omelette shape.
- Turn the tonpeiyaki out onto a plate and then drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Sprinkle with aonori for the finishing touch.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Sides
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: Tonpeiyaki, how to make tonpeiyaki, tonpeiyaki recipe, cabbage omelette, Japanese cabbage, tonpeiyaki sauce, easy okonomiyaki, Japanese omelette, Japanese omelet, okonomiyaki sauce recipe, Japanese shredded cabbage, Japanese cabbage recipes, pork omlette, cabbage and egg omlette,
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