Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake layered with yakisoba noodles, fried egg, and pork belly drizzled with a delicious sauce. Watch my video tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to make this fantastic homemade recipe for lunch or dinner!
Have you tried okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) before? It’s a Japanese savory pancake that contains a variety of ingredients. “Okonomi” in Japanese means “as you like it”, so it’s a savory pancake that contains whatever ingredients you like.
In this Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki (広島風お好み焼き) recipe, the pancake gets a serious boost with a layer of stir-fried noodles on the bottom and fried egg on top. The result is a popular street food from Hiroshima in western Japan that makes a hearty lunch or dinner. It’s easy to make at home, too.
Table of Contents
Two Styles of Okonomiyaki
What’s the difference between Osaka-style and Hiroshima-style savory pancakes? One is mixed and the other is layered.
- Osaka-style – The pancake batter is a mix of flour, water or dashi, shredded cabbage, egg, and green onion. It’s topped with the protein of your choice, such as pork belly slices or seafood. I have a delicious Osaka-style okonomiyaki recipe that’s one of the most popular recipes on my website!
- Hiroshima-style – This variation uses almost the same ingredients, but they are layered rather than mixed in with the batter. Not only that, fried egg and yakisoba noodles (or sometimes udon noodles) are used as toppings.
Which one is tastier? Well, that’s really up to your preference. If you like fried noodles and a less doughy texture, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is your choice.
I like both styles of okonomiyaki, so it’d be very hard for me to pick just one! At home, I just alternate cooking them.
What is Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki?
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki has been around since the 1950s. At that time, the country was quite poor and people only used a little bit of flour and vegetables to make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
The current Hiroshima okonomiyaki with meat, egg, and noodles is a version that has evolved throughout the years. Nowadays, there are over 2,000 restaurants within the Hiroshima area that specialize in this popular dish!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- water, mirin, and cake flour – for the batter
- green cabbage
- green onion/scallion
- katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps)
- bean sprouts
- tororo kombu – dried kelp shavings; you can buy it online; optional
- sliced pork belly
- yakisoba noodles – pre-steamed
- large eggs
- okonomiyaki sauce – try my homemade okonomiyaki sauce recipe
- toppings of your choice – typically aonori (dried green laver seaweed), pickled red ginger (beni shoga), and Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise)
3 Key Toppings for Okonomiyaki
- Okonomi sauce – The important and delicious element of both Hiroshima- and Osaka-style okonomiyaki is okonomi sauce (お好みソース). Originally, Worcestershire sauce was used but throughout the years the flavor has evolved. These days, okonomi sauce has a sweet and sour flavor that’s slightly different from tonkatsu sauce and its thicker consistency goes well with okonomiyaki. Oh, so delicious!
- Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise – It has a sweet and tangy flavor that is well balanced. Many JOC readers have told me that they haven’t gone back to the original Western-style mayo they had been using since they tasted Japanese mayonnaise!
- Aonori (dried green laver seaweed) – These dried flakes of umami-rich seaweed have a bright, intense green color and unique fragrance. Japan has many types of seaweed, from wakame to nori to kombu, each used for specific dishes. You can buy aonori from Amazon and Japanese/Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find it, substitute regular nori.
How to Make Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Make one okonomiyaki at a time.
- Make the batter in a large bowl, whisking water, mirin, and cake flour until combined. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the green cabbage and green onion.
- Grind the katsuobushi into a fine powder.
- Pour one portion of batter on top of a heated, nonstick griddle. Spread the batter in a large, thin circle with the back of the ladle.
- Add the layers of ingredients to the crepe. Sprinkle ground katsuobushi, then scatter sliced cabbage. Top with tenkasu, sliced scallion, and bean sprouts. Add the tororo kombu, if using. Finally, add a single layer of 3 thin slices of pork belly.
- Drizzle 1 Tbsp batter on top to “glue” the layers. Quickly flip the pancake with one spatula in each hand and correct the shape of the pancake. Turn up the heat to cook the meat, then turn down the heat and move the okonomiyaki to the side.
- Stir-fry the yakisoba noodles in the fat rendered from the meat. Drizzle the noodles with okonomiyaki sauce and toss to coat. Shape the noodles into a flat, round shape like the crepe.
- Layer the pancake on top of the noodles.
- Crack a large egg onto heated neutral oil and spread it into the same size as the pancake. Place the pancake on top of the egg before its completely cooked. Once cooked, flip the okonomiyaki a final time.
- Now, add the condiments and garnishes. Spread okonomiyaki sauce on top and drizzle with Japanese mayonnaise in a zigzag pattern. Sprinkle with aonori and garnish with pickled red ginger.
I hope you give my recipe for Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki a try! If you try Osaka-style okonomiyaki as well, tell us which type you prefer in the comment section below. Have fun trying different variations of this popular Japanese street food!
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Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake layered with yakisoba noodles, fried egg, and pork belly drizzled with a delicious sauce. Watch my video tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to make this fantastic homemade recipe for lunch or dinner!
Video
Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 150 ml water (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp)
- 1 tsp mirin
- 100 g cake flour (¾ cup + 1½ Tbsp; you can make homemade cake flour; or substitute all-purpose flour in a pinch)
For the Okonomiyaki Layers
- 8.5 oz green cabbage (about 3 large cabbage leaves)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 2 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- 4 Tbsp tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps) (12 g)
- 2 oz bean sprouts (about 1 handful)
- 2 Tbsp tororo kombu (dried kelp shavings; you can buy it online; optional)
- 6 pieces sliced pork belly
- 2 servings yakisoba noodles (pre-steamed; about 11 oz, 310 g)
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- okonomiyaki sauce (you can make my homemade okonomiyaki sauce recipe)
- toppings of your choice (typically aonori (dried green laver seaweed), pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga), and Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, add 150 ml water (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp) and 1 tsp mirin.
- Add 100 g cake flour (¾ cup + 1½ Tbsp) and whisk until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so the texture becomes smooth.
- Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to cut 8.5 oz green cabbage and 1 green onion/scallion into thin slices.
- Grind 2 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder.
- After chilling for 1 hour, the batter will become smoother.
To Make the Okonomiyaki
- We will make one Okonomiyaki at a time The ingredients are for 2 pancakes, so divide all the ingredients into 2 portions.
- Heat a large nonstick griddle (I use an electric griddle at home) to 340°F (170°C). Pour ¼ cup batter onto the hot griddle. Immediately spread the batter thinly into a large circle with the back of the ladle, starting at the center and spiraling the batter outward (see the video) to a diameter of 8–9 inches (20–23 cm).
- Now, start layering your ingredients. Sprinkle this “crepe“ with 1 Tbsp ground katsuobushi. Then, scatter a portion of sliced cabbage on top.
- Next, top with 2 Tbsp tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps), some of the sliced scallion, and 1 oz bean sprouts.
- Add 1 Tbsp tororo kombu on top, if using. Then, add a single layer of 3 pieces thinly sliced pork belly without overlapping.
- Pour 1 Tbsp batter on top (this will act as glue). With two spatulas, one in each hand, carefully pick up the pancake from either side and quickly flip. Turn the heat to 390°F (200°C) to cook the meat. Use the spatula to push the edges of the meat toward the rounded pancake shape. Don’t press down the crepe with the spatula yet (you will do so later). When the meat is no longer pink, turn down the heat to 340°F (170°C) and move the Okonomiyaki to the side. If you are using a frying pan instead of the griddle, heat up a second pan.
- With your hands, loosen 1 serving yakisoba noodles and place them in the open space on the griddle (or the 2nd frying pan). Stir-fry until the noodles are coated with the rendered oil from the meat. Next, drizzle 1–2 Tbsp okonomiyaki sauce on the noodles and toss to coat.
- Form the noodles into a round flat shape similar in size to the crepe. Using the two spatulas, quickly transfer the Okonomiyaki on top of the noodles.
- Heat some neutral oil in the open space and crack 1 large egg. Quickly spread the egg into the same size as the Okonomiyaki.
- Before the egg is completely cooked, place the Okonomiyaki on top of the egg (see the video).
- When the bottom of the egg is cooked, flip the Okonomiyaki for the last time using the two spatulas.
To Serve
- Transfer the okonomiyaki to an individual plate and drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce. Customize with the condiments and toppings of your choice. I recommend drizzling Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise in a zigzag pattern and sprinkling aonori (dried green laver seaweed) on top. Garnish with pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga), if desired. Serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Calories: 919 kcal · Carbohydrates: 91 g · Protein: 31 g · Fat: 48 g · Saturated Fat: 14 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 8 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 16 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 260 mg · Sodium: 605 mg · Potassium: 649 mg · Fiber: 9 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 634 IU · Vitamin C: 48 mg · Calcium: 134 mg · Iron: 6 mg
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