Okonomiyaki

Name: Okonomiyaki
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Batter:; 120 g Unbleached All Purpose Flour,; Pinch Sea Salt,; Pinch Granulated Sugar,; Pinch Baking Powder,; 160 g Nagaimo / Japanese Yam Grated,; 180 ml Daishi,; 1/2 Cup Tenkasu / Tempura Scraps,; 1/2 Inch Ginger Grated,; 4 Eggs Light Beaten,; 740 g Japanese Cabbage Finely Shredded,; Shichimi Togarashi / Japanese 7 Peppers, Pinch; Sauce:; 1.5 TBSP Granulated Sugar,; 2 TBSP Oyster Sauce,; 4 TBSP Tomato Ketchup,; 3.5 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce,; Pinch High Quality Wasabi,; Assembly:; Canola / Peanut / Vegetable Oil, A Few Drizzle; 8 Slices High Quality Chicken Bacon,; Nori Flakes, For Toppings; Kewpie Mayo, For Toppings; Scallions Coarsely Sliced, For Toppings; Bonito Flakes, For Toppings

Daniel Lim @fatdoughsg

Singapore

I had been asking myself this question: is Japan's Okonomiyaki a pizza? I mean, does a pan-fried batter counted as a dough? It definitely has sauce and toppings. But can Kewpie mayo qualifies as a cheese? Pizza is dough, sauce and cheese right? So technically, this is a pizza, right? Lol! I watched too much "Is it really dough" on YouTube.

I love this "Japanese pizza". I hardly find any great okonomiyaki in Singapore tho, sadly. There are actually 2 types of okonomiyaki; the Osaka's and the Hiroshima's version. The one which I am making today is the Osaka's version. Hiroshima's version is a lot "heavier" as it contains added noodles and lots of vegetables and other toppings. Perhaps I will try to make that version in the future. It is really difficult to decide which is my favorite; each version has it's own uniqueness.

This is rather a simple and easy dish to make, tho, flipping the okonomiyaki really do takes some practice, especially when I am making 8 inch big okonomiyaki. But it all comes together in the end. Cos after all, mesmerizing over how the bonito flakes dance is the price. Don't you agree? Anyway, I was so glad the other day when I spotted chicken bacon in my local supermarket. Chicken bacon does exist! I do not consume pork, so this is intriguing for me. You can however, use a high quality pork bacon. In closing, is this a pizza? I will leave it to you to decide and I really do hope you give this recipe a try.

Daniel Lim @fatdoughsg

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Ingredients

Batter:
120 gUnbleached All Purpose Flour,
PinchSea Salt,
PinchGranulated Sugar,
PinchBaking Powder,
160 gNagaimo / Japanese Yam Grated,
180 mlDaishi,
1/2 CupTenkasu / Tempura Scraps,
1/2 InchGinger Grated,
4Eggs Light Beaten,
740 gJapanese Cabbage Finely Shredded,
Shichimi Togarashi / Japanese 7 Peppers, Pinch
Sauce:
1.5 TBSPGranulated Sugar,
2 TBSPOyster Sauce,
4 TBSPTomato Ketchup,
3.5 TBSPWorcestershire Sauce,
PinchHigh Quality Wasabi,
Assembly:
Canola / Peanut / Vegetable Oil, A Few Drizzle
8 SlicesHigh Quality Chicken Bacon,
Nori Flakes, For Toppings
Kewpie Mayo, For Toppings
Scallions Coarsely Sliced, For Toppings
Bonito Flakes, For Toppings

Saved

Steps

1

Prepare batter.
In a large bowl, add flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.
Mix until well combined.
Add in yam and incorporated well.
The mixture should comes together like a dough.
2

Gradually add in dashi while still mixing.
Mix until well combine making sure no large lumps.
*You can pass the batter thru' a fine sieve.*
Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr.
3

While waiting for the batter to set, prepare the sauce.
In a small bowl, combine everything together.
Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
After 1 hr, prep the batter.
4

Add in tenkasu, ginger and eggs.
*If you can't find tenkasu, you can simply just deep fried up some batter. Tenkasu is just tempura scraps or leftover.*
Mix until well combined.
Lastly fold in the cabbage and Shichimi Togarashi until fully incorporated.
5

Assemble the okonomiyaki.
In a skillet over medium heat, drizzle some oil.
Once the oil is heated up, add in the batter.
I am making 8 inch okonomiyaki in which the batter will fill up my skillet.
6

You can make smaller ones by dividing the batter into 4 equal portions.
Gently shape the batter into a round disc.
Add strips of bacon on top of the batter.
7

Cover the skillet and cook for 5 mins.
Once bottom is lightly charred, confidently flip the batter.
It is okay if it is messy. Use a spatula to coax into a round disc again.
Cover and cook for another 5 mins.
8

Once bottom is lightly charred, flip onto serving plate.
Brush the sauce onto the okonomiyaki.
Sprinkle nori flakes over the top.
I dislike my okonomiyaki with lots of mayo, so I just dollops them over the top.
9

If you prefer, you can squeeze mayo all over the top in a zig-zag motion.
Lastly, sprinkle some bonito flakes and scallions over the top.
Repeat the steps for the remaining okonomiyaki.
Serve immediately and enjoy how the bonito flakes dance.