
This Thanksgiving, let’s add a dash of creativity to the table! Try our Okonomiyaki recipe—a Japanese savory pancake that’s a delightful departure from tradition. Packed with flavors and customizable toppings, it’s a tasty twist to make your Thanksgiving feast truly unforgettable. I stumbled upon this fantastic Okonomiyaki recipe on https://www.justonecookbook.com/, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone!
PREP TIMES:
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1hr
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) (weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level off)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 5.6 oz nagaimo/yamaimo (mountain yam) (2–3 inches, 5–8 cm)
- ¾ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- ½ cup tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps) (24 g)
- ¼ cup pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga)
For the Other Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage (large; 1.6 lb, 740 g)
- ½ lb sliced pork belly (or slice your own; you can substitute with shrimp, squid, or mushrooms)
- neutral oil (for cooking the okonomiyaki)
For the Quick Okonomiyaki Sauce
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Toppings of your choice
- okonomiyaki sauce
- Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise
- katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (skip for vegetarian)
- aonori (dried green laver seaweed)
- green onions/scallions (chopped)
- pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga)
Directions
- Take out the batter from the refrigerator. Add 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), ½ cup tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps), and ¼ cup pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) to the bowl. Mix until combined.

- Add the minced cabbage to the batter, one-third of it at a time. Mix well before adding the rest.

- In a large pan, heat a bit of neutral oil on medium heat. When the frying pan is hot (400ºF or 200ºC), spread the batter in a circle on the pan. We like thicker okonomiyaki (the final thickness is ¾ inches or 2 cm). If you’re new to making okonomiyaki, make it smaller and thinner so it’s easier to flip.

- Place 2–3 slices of pork belly on top of the okonomiyaki and cook covered for 5 minutes.

- When the bottom side is nicely browned, flip it over.

- Gently press the okonomiyaki to fix its shape and keep it together. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

- Flip it over one last time and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. If you’re going to cook the next batch, transfer the cooked okonomiyaki to a plate.
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