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–+ servings

Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki (in a frying pan)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 portions

Ingredients 
 

Yakisoba

Batter

Okonomiyaki layers

  • 50 g green cabbage cut into long strips
  • 4 tbsp fried squid snack (ikaten) or tempura bits (tenkasu)
  • 50 g bean sprouts
  • 100 g thinly sliced pork belly
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pinch salt

Okonomi sauce and toppings

Instructions 

  • Mix ½ tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp tomato ketchup, ¼ tsp sake, ¼ tsp sugar, 1 pinch ground black pepper and ½ tsp toasted sesame oil in a small bowl to make the yakisoba sauce.
    Simple yakisoba style sauce in a glass bowl
  • Heat a frying pan on medium-high and once hot, add 1 ½ tsp cooking oil and 1 portion yakisoba noodles. Fry undisturbed until crispy underneath, then flip and repeat.
    Ramen noodles fried until crispy in a frying pan
  • Pour the yakisoba sauce over the noodles and stir fry until they're evenly coated. Remove from the stove and set aside for later.
    Completed yakisoba noodles for Hiroshima style okonomiyaki in a frying pan
  • Take a large frying pan and heat on medium-low. Spread 1 ½ tsp cooking oil around the pan and wipe away the excess with kitchen paper so that only a thin film remains.
    spreading a thin layer of oil over frying pan using kitchen paper
  • While the pan is heating up, make the crepe batter by whisking the 30 g all-purpose flour, 60 ml dashi stock, 1 pinch white sugar and 1 dash mirin in a small jug until smooth.
    Hiroshima style okonomiyaki batter whisked in a pyrex jug
  • Briefly lift the pan off the heat and pour 3/4 of the mixture into the center of the pan. Spread it out thin using the back of a spoon, then place the pan back down and sprinkle 1 tbsp bonito flakes (katsuobushi) over the wet batter.
    Sprinkling batter with katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
  • Add 50 g green cabbage, 4 tbsp fried squid snack (ikaten) and 50 g bean sprouts one layer at a time, then drizzle the leftover batter over the top to act as a glue between the layers.
    adding beansprouts
  • Lay the 100 g thinly sliced pork belly over the top and cover the pan with a lid. Steam-fry for 5 minutes.
    Cooking Hiroshima style okonomiyaki in a frying pan with a lid
  • While you wait, mix ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, ½ tbsp honey and ½ tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) in a small bowl to make your okonomiyaki sauce. Set aside for later.
    Hiroshima style sweet okonomi sauce mixed in a glass bowl
  • Remove the lid, flip the okonomiyaki and cover with the lid once more. Cook the other side for 5 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Slide the contents of the pan onto a large plate.
    Flipped Hiroshima style okonomiyaki frying in a frying pan with a lid
  • Crack 1 egg into a separate bowl with 1 pinch salt and whisk until the yolk and white are combined.
    Whisked egg in a small glass bowl
  • Use kitchen paper to wipe the pan clean, then add a drizzle of oil and spread it around using kitchen paper to remove any excess. Pour the whisked egg into the pan and swirl it around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
    Cooking a thin egg crepe in a large frying pan
  • Once it's about 80% cooked, place the cooked yakisoba on top and lightly press it down. Place other half of the okonomiyaki on top so the crepe is on top and the pork is sandwiched in the middle.
    the other half of Hiroshima style okonomiyaki placed ontop of the noodles.
  • Use a spatula to peel the edges of the egg and loosen it from the pan and carefully flip the whole thing onto a plate. The egg layer should be on top, the crepe on the bottom.
    Hiroshima style okonomiyaki flipped onto a plate with the egg crepe on top
  • Generously coat with the homemade okonomi sauce, 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions and an 1 pasteurized egg yolk (optional). Enjoy!
    Hiroshima style okonomiyaki topped with sweet sauce, chopped spring onion and an egg yolk

Notes

Stop pouring the crepe before it thickens: Aim for a narrow window. Too thick and it cooks up rubbery and dense, too thin and it tears the moment cabbage lands on it. Use most of the batter but spread it wide and stop while the surface still looks barely translucent.
Spread the crepe in a single pass: Pour into the center and push outward with the back of a spoon, never going over the same spot twice. A second swipe drags and tears the setting batter. If a hole opens, dab batter on and let it set.
Use a bigger pan if you flip it yourself: A pan that barely fits leaves no landing room for the turn.
Commit to a freehand flip and go fast: If you flip it by hand, turn it in a single quick decisive motion. The instinct to ease a nervous stack over slowly is exactly what drops it mid-air. Decide, then go, or skip the risk with the plate invert.