Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki(Japanese:お好み焼き,listen)is a Japaneseteppanyakisavorypancakedish consisting ofwheat flourbatter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on ateppan(flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings includeokonomiyakisauce (made withWorcestershire sauce),aonori(dried seaweed flakes),katsuobushi(bonito flakes), Japanesemayonnaise, andpickled ginger.
Okonomiyakiis mainly associated with two distinct variants fromHiroshimaor theKansai regionof Japan, but is widely available throughout the country, with toppings and batters varying by area. The name is derived from the wordokonomi, meaning "how you like" or "what you like", andyaki, meaning "grilled". It is an example ofkonamono(konamonin theKansai dialect), orflour-basedJapanese cuisine.
It is also called by an abbreviated name, "okonomi", where theOis apoliteness prefixandkonomimeans ‘favorite’.
A liquid-basedokonomiyaki, popular inTokyo, is calledmonjayaki(also written asmonja yaki) and abbreviated as "monja". Outside of Japan, it can also be found served inManila,Taipei,Bangkok, andJakartaby street vendors.
A thincrêpe-like confection calledfunoyaki[ja]may be an early precursor tookonomiyaki.Records of the wordfunoyakiappear as far back as the 16th century, as written about by tea masterSen no Rikyū,and though the dish's ingredients are unclear, it may have includedfu(wheat gluten).By the lateEdo period(1603–1867),funoyakireferred to a thin crêpe baked on a cooking pot, withmisobasted on one side.This confection is the ancestor of the modern confectionskintsuba(金つば), which is also calledgintsuba(銀つば)inKyotoandOsaka,andtaiko-yaki(also known asimagawayaki), which both usenerian(練り餡), asweet bean paste.
In theMeiji era(1868–1912),monjiyaki(文字焼き), a related confection, was popular with children atdagashiya(駄菓子屋), shops selling cheap sweets.This was made by drawing letters (monji) or pictures with flour batter on ateppan(iron griddle) and adding ingredients of choice. The confectionary was also calleddondonyaki(どんどん焼き), from theonomatopoeiaof the stall sellers beating drums to attract customers.
The first appearance of the word "okonomiyaki" was at a shop in Osaka in the 1930s.After the1923 Great Kantō earthquakewhen people lacked amenities, it became a pastime to cook these crêpes,and afterWorld War II(when there was a short supply ofrice)okonomiyakiemerged as an inexpensive and filling dish for all ages, often with savory toppings, such as meat, seafood, and vegetables.This "okonomiyakiboom" saw household equipment and ingredients for the dish become commercially available.Monjiyakialso developed into the related modern dishmonjayaki(モンジャ焼き), which has a more runny batter due to more added water, resulting in a different cooked consistency.
Theissen yōshoku[ja](cheapWestern-style cuisine) of Kyoto, which developed in theTaishōperiod (1912–1926), may have produced an early form of modern savoryokonomiyakiin the form of a pancake withWorcestershire sauceand choppedscallion.
The dish is known for two distinct main variants, one in Kansai and Osaka and one in Hiroshima.Another variety ishirayachi, a thin and simple type made in Okinawa.
Okonomiyakiin theKansaior Osaka style is the predominant version of the dish, found throughout most of Japan. The batter is made of flour, gratednagaimo(a long type ofyam),dashior water, eggs, shreddedcabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (usually thinly sliced pork belly or American bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables,konjac,mochi, or cheese.
It is sometimes compared to anomeletteor apancakeand is sometimes referred to as a "Japanesepizza" or "Osakasoul food".The dish can be prepared in advance, allowing customers to use ateppanor special hotplates to fry after mixing the ingredients. They may also have a diner-style counter where the cook prepares the dish in front of the customers.
It is prepared much like a pancake. The batter and other ingredients are pan-fried on both sides on a teppan using metal spatulas that are later used to cut the dish when it has finished cooking. Cookedokonomiyakiis topped with ingredients that includeokonomiyakisauce (made with Worcestershire sauce),aonori(seaweed flakes),katsuobushi(bonito flakes),Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger (beni shōga).
When served with a layer of fried noodles (eitheryakisobaorudon), the resulting dish is calledmodan-yaki(モダン焼き), the name of which may be derived from the English word "modern" or as a contraction ofmori dakusan(盛りだくさん), meaning "a lot" or "piled high" signifying the volume of food from having both noodles andokonomiyaki.Negiyaki(ねぎ焼き)is a thinner variation ofokonomiyakimade with a great deal of scallions, comparable to Koreanpajeonand Chinesegreen onion pancakes.
A variation calledkashimin-yakiis made of chicken and tallow instead of pork inKishiwada, Osaka.InHamamatsu,takuan(pickleddaikon) is mixed in okonomiyaki.Stewed sweetkintoki-mameis mixed in okonomiyaki inTokushima Prefecture.
In the city ofHiroshima, there are over 2000 okonomiyaki restaurants, and theprefecturehas more of those restaurants per capita than any other place in Japan.Issen yōshoku(一銭洋食, lit. "one-coin Western food"), a thin pancake topped with green onions and bonito flakes or shrimp, became popular in Hiroshima prior to World War II. After theatomic bombingof the city in August 1945,issen yōshokubecame a cheap way for the surviving residents to have food to eat.Because the original ingredients were not always easy to obtain, many of the street vendors and shops began making it "cooked how you like it"(お好み焼き,okonomiyaki), using whatever ingredients were available.
The ingredients are layered rather than mixed.The layers are typically batter, cabbage, pork, and yakisoba. Optional items such as squid, octopus, dried bonito flakes, and other seafood, as well asnoriflakes or powder,mung bean sprouts, egg, chicken, cheese, and other ingredients, depending on the preferences of the cook and the customer.Noodles (yakisoba, udon) are also used as a topping with fried egg and a generous amount ofokonomiyakisauce.
The amount of cabbage used is usually three to four times the amount used in the 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. This style is also calledHiroshima-yakiorHiroshima-okonomi.
In and around the Hiroshima area, there are a number of variations on the style.Fuchuyaki(府中焼き,fuchūyaki)is made with ground meat instead of pork belly inFuchū, Hiroshima.Oysters (kaki) are mixed in okonomiyaki to makekaki-okoinHinase, Okayama.On the island ofInnoshima, a variety calledInnoshima okonomiyaki(因島お好み焼き)(orin'oko(いんおこ)for short) includesudon, bonito flakes, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetables fried with uncooked batter.Together with "Onomichiyaki", in'oko is considered a B-class gourmet food along theShimanami Kaidō.There is a restaurant in Hiroshima where customers can order jalapeños, tortilla chips, chorizo, and other Latin American items either in—or as a side dish to—okonomiyaki.
Otafuku, one of the most popular brands of okonomiyaki sauce, is based in Hiroshima and has an okonomiyaki museum and a cooking studio there.Okonomi-mura, inNaka-kuin Hiroshima, was the topfood theme parkdestination for families in Japan according to an April 2004 poll.
Hirayachi(Okinawan:ヒラヤーチーhirayaachii) is a thin, very simpleOkinawanpancake-like dish similar tobuchimgae. It is basically "a savory Okinawan crepe with leeks",and is sometimes called "Okinawan style okonomiyaki". The name means "fry flat" in the Okinawan language.
People cook it at home, so there are fewokonomiyakirestaurants in Okinawa, with none of them serving hirayachi.The ingredients consist ofeggs,flour,salt,black pepperand green onions, fried with a little oil in a pan.
TheTsukishimadistrict of Tokyo is popular for bothokonomiyakiandmonjayaki(the district's main street is named "Monja Street").In some areas of Kyoto city, an old-styleokonomiyakicalledbetayaki(べた焼き) is served. The dish is prepared in layers of thin batter, shredded cabbage and meat, with a fried egg and noodles.
Okonomiyakiis popular streetfare in cities includingManila,Taipei,Bangkok, andJakarta.