Okonomiyaki (Pork)

Name: Okonomiyaki (Pork)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Makes 2 (serves 2)
Ingredients: Thinly sliced pork belly 6 slices (about 120 g); Egg 2; Cabbage 1/4 head (about 250 g); All-purpose flour 100g; Tenkasu (tempura bits) 4 tbsp; Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock) 1/2 tsp; Okonomiyaki sauce (or chuno sauce) 3–4 tbsp; Bonito flakes 1 small bag; Aonori (green seaweed flakes) A little; Water 120ml; Vegetable oil 2 tbsp; Mayonnaise As you like; Frying pan lid 1; Bamboo skewer (or a toothpick) 1 stalk

💪 If you exercise 🍲 Cooking for a group

Makes 2 (serves 2) · About 40 min
Batter packed with cabbage, topped with pork belly, and cooked on both sides in a frying pan.

① Cut the cabbage→② Mix the batter→③ Cook and top with pork→④ Flip and cook with the lid on→⑤ Finish with sauce

What to buy

Meat

Thinly sliced pork belly6 slices (about 120 g)

Eggs & vegetables

Egg2Cabbage1/4 head (about 250 g)

Seasonings, flour & dry goods

All-purpose flour100gTenkasu (tempura bits)You can make it without. It makes it fluffier4 tbspDashi granules (Japanese soup stock)1/2 tspOkonomiyaki sauce (or chuno sauce)3–4 tbspBonito flakesOptional1 small bagAonori (green seaweed flakes)OptionalA little

Check what you already have

Water120mlVegetable oil2 tbspMayonnaiseAs you likeFrying pan lid1Bamboo skewer (or a toothpick)For checking that it is cooked1 stalk

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How to make it

Cook one at a time in a frying pan (24–26 cm across). Use half of the batter and pork for each.

Chop the cabbage

About 5 min

Cut the cabbage into about 1 cm squares (leave out the hard core)

How to tell it's doneNo big pieces are left. If they are big, the batter does not hold together and breaks easily when you flip it.

Mix the batter

About 3 min

In a bowl, put 100 g cake flour, 1/2 tsp dashi granules and 120 ml water, and mix with chopsticks until there are no lumps of flour
Crack in 2 eggs and mix
Add all the cabbage and 4 tbsp tenkasu and mix roughly from the bottom

How to tell it's doneAll the cabbage is coated in batter, and no lumps or white flour are left at the bottom of the bowl.

Be carefulIf you mix a long time after adding the cabbage, water comes out of the cabbage and the batter gets runny. Cook as soon as it is all coated.

Spread the batter into a circle and top with pork

Medium heatAbout 4 min

Put 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat
Put half the batter in the middle and spread it with a spatula into a circle about 18 cm across and about 1.5 cm thick
Lay 3 slices of pork belly on top, a little apart so they do not overlap
Cook about 4 min without touching

How to tell it's doneLift the edge a little with a spatula and look: the bottom is nicely browned. The edges of the batter are a little dry and set.

Flip it and cook with the lid on

Medium-low heat, lid onAbout 5 min

Slide 2 spatulas (or a spatula and a turner) deep under the pancake from the left and right
Flip it in one go. The pork side is now on the bottom
Do not press down on it with the spatula (it loses its fluffiness)
Turn to medium-low heat, lid on, about 5 min

How to tell it's doneTake off the lid and lift the edge with a spatula: the pork is crispy and brown, with no pink parts.

Be carefulOil may splatter when you flip it. Flip it low, right above the frying pan. If it loses its shape, push it back into a circle with the spatula and it will be fine.

Flip it again and check it is cooked inside

Medium heatAbout 2 min

Flip it once more (pork side up) and cook about 2 min without the lid
Stick a bamboo skewer into the center, wait 5 sec, and pull it out
If it is cooked, move it to a plate, spread on sauce and mayonnaise, and top with bonito flakes and aonori if you have them
Quickly wipe the frying pan and repeat steps 3–5 with the other half

How to tell it's doneNo gooey batter sticks to the skewer. The part of the skewer that was inside feels hot to your finger.

Be carefulIf batter sticks to the skewer, put the lid on and cook on low heat 2 more min, then check again with the skewer.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Dashi Eggs Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)

If it didn't work out

The inside is raw and gummyIt was too thick, or the time with the lid on in step 4 was too short. Next time, make it no more than 1.5 cm thick, and do not move it to a plate until you have checked with a skewer.

It breaks when flippedThe cabbage pieces were too big, or you flipped before the bottom set in step 3. Next time, lift the edge and check the browning before flipping.

Burnt outside, raw insideThe heat is too high. Next time, use lower heat after putting the lid on in step 4.

It is soggy and does not puff upToo much time passed after mixing the batter, or you pressed it with the spatula. Next time, cook right after mixing and do not press.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me