Another view of Okonomiyaki at home

Another view of Okonomiyaki at home. A lot of people have portable electric griddles, and make Okonomiyaki at the dinner table as you eat.

The main ingredients are cabbage and a choice of meat. Pork is most common, but squid, shrimp, and beef are also popular. The meat is not usually mixed into the pancake, but added to one side. One of the best things about Okonomiyaki is that you can make it in so many ways. The name actually means “cook as you like” (or something close to that anyway). Different areas of Japan have very different styles as well. For example, in Hiroshima people add noodles.

After the cabbage, meat, and essential Okonomiyaki sauce for seasoning, other ingredients are very good to provide an authentic flavor:

1 Nagaimo (Chinese yam)—makes the pancake hold together and gives a light texture

2 pickled red ginger (Benishouga)—gives a little sour kick

3 dried green laver or seaweed (Aonori)— seaweed flavor that goes very well with the sauce

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup Dashi (fish broth)
1 egg
3-4 Tbsp Nagaimo (long yam), grated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cabbage (about 12oz), chopped fine
3-4 green onions, chopped fine
2-3 Tbsp pickled red ginger (Benishouga, not sushi ginger), chopped fine
1 Tbsp oil
6 pieces thinly sliced pork belly
Okonomiyaki sauce or Tonkatsu sauce
mayonnaise
dried bonito flakes
dried green seaweed (Aonori)
Instructions

In a big bowl, whisk flour and Dashi (fish broth) together until smooth. Stir egg and yam to flour mixture. Season it with salt and soy sauce.
Add cabbage, onions, and ginger to the batter and mix.
Heat oil in a skillet, pour half of the pancake batter into an 8" circle, and lay 3 pieces of pork slices on it. Fry at medium heat until the bottom becomes golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
Flip to fry the other side until the pork becomes crispy, about 5-7 minutes.
Flip one more time, pork side up, and spread Okonomiyaki sauce and mayo on the pancake.
Sprinkle dried green seaweed, then dried bonito flakes over the pancake. Serve hot.