A signature of Japanese street food, specifically of Osaka, okonomiyaki is a savory pancake known for its custardy interior and a bevy of finishing touches. While the traditional recipe features grated mountain yam (nagaimo or yamaimo) to nail the dish’s characteristically soft texture, this version approximates the results with a pantry-forward batter and a few cups of thinly sliced cabbage. Meanwhile, bacon makes a great extra-flavorful stand-in for the thinly sliced pork belly found in iterations all over Japan.
This okonomiyaki recipe calls for instant dashi stock powder. If you don’t keep it on hand and want to save yourself a trip to the grocery store, we’ve offered a simple substitution: Just mix a bit of fish sauce with water to imbue the okonomiyaki batter base with a similar flavor. Next, to approximate Okonomi sauce—the sweet-savory condiment often drizzled over okonomiyaki alongside mayonnaise (if you have Kewpie mayo on hand, all the better)— doctor up your favorite ketchup with Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.
We like to dress this umami cabbage pancake with sliced pickled ginger and delicate bonito flakes, a.k.a. katsuobushi (both available at most Asian grocery stores or easily purchased online), plus fresh green onions. But feel free to raid your pantry for tenkasu, furikake, nori flakes, toasted sesame seeds, or anything else you’d care to sprinkle with abandon.
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