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.
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
How to Make Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Make one okonomiyaki at a time. 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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