Recipe: Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki

I got carried away last night and made waaay too much pancit (Filipino stir fried noodles)..  What to do with all these noodles?  Well, make okonomiyaki with it of course!  

What's Okonomiyaki?

Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese pan fried dish.  It's typically made with cabbage, batter, seasonings, bean sprouts,  green onions or leeks, then brushed with okonomiyaki sauce, topped with koupie mayo and bonito flakes.  Okonomiyaki stems from the Japanese words "okonomi" meaning "to your liking" and "yaki" meaning "cooked over direct heat".  So you can put whatever you like in this dish.  You GOT TO HAVE  the okonomiyaki sauce, cabbage, and the batter.

Hiroshima vs. Okinawa Okonomiyaki

I'll be making the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.  It's different from the Okinawa style okonomiyaki we get in Edmonton in that in Hiroshima okonomiyaki the ingredients are in layers and it always comes with noodles while Okinawa okonomiyaki's ingredients are mixed together.

TIP:  You can use any noodles ie: soba (traditionally used),  cooked spaghetti noodles,  leftover take out chow mien, or leftover pancit (I used this).  The ingredients I listed are just starting points.  You can change it up to your liking.  The okonomiyaki is a must.

OKONOMIYAKI HIROSHIMA STYLE (makes 4 large okonomiyaki)

INGREDIENTS

4 cups thinly sliced cabbage

1/2 cups chopped green onions more if using leeks

6 or more strips of bacon, cut in half (optional)

12 pieces of shrimp cut in half  length wise (optional)

2 cups bean sprouts

4 large eggs

3 or more cups of soba noodles (see tip)

Japanese Furikake Seasoning or seasoning salt

preserved red ginger

chopped seaweed

bonito flakes

sesame seeds

Ingredients For the Pancake Batter:

2 cups flour

2 cups cornstarch

1/2 cups melted butter

4 cups water

Ingredients for Okonomiyaki Sauce

1/4 cups ketchup

1/4 cups worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon soysauce

Procedure

1. Wash and cut all the vegetables and meat.
2. On the stove oil and preheat a large griddle or 2 cast iron pans.  Your pan has to be big enough to accommodate 2 medium pancakes side by side.  Use 2 pans if you have to.
3. Prepare batter by combining all purpose flour, constarch, melted butter and water.  To avoid lumps add water 1 cup at a time.  Batter has to be thin but not too runny, same consistency as pancake syrup.  Set aside.
4. Next prepare the sauce.
5. In a small saucepan mix together ketchup, worcestershire sauce, honey, and soysauce.  Heat on medium heat until everything has heated and honey has melted.
6. Oil both cookings pans.  In one of the pan pour about 1/4 cups of batter, then spread about 1 cup of thinly sliced cabbage on top of the batter.  Add been sprouts, murshooms, and some green onions or leeks on top.
7. Sprinkle  on top some furikake seasoning, lay down 3 strips of bacon and drizzle 2 tablespoons of batter.
8. Let it all hang out for 30 seconds.  Slip 2 half moon spatulas underneath the pancake and with one quick swoop flip everything over (see video).
9. Cook for atleast 5- 7 minutes.  
10. Meanwhile on the other pan start frying up your noodles.  Noodles just needed to be slightly crisped and warmed up.  Once it's ready shape it into a circle.
11. Slip both halfmoon spatula under the okonomiyaki and lift the whole thing and place it on top of the noodles.  
12. In the empty pan crack an egg, spread it about the pan and add 4 or more pieces of shrimp.  Make it as wide as your okonomiyaki.
13. Using your halfmoon spatula lift up the okonomiyaki and place it on top of the egg and shrimp.
14. Cook for a minute and flip the whole thing for the last time.
15. Spread okonomiyaki sauce and top off with more greenonions, mayonaise bonito flakes, more furikake seasoning, and red ginger preserve.  ENJOY!!