Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (2024)

· by Valentina · 16 Comments

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This Yakisoba Okonomiyaki recipe is bursting with umami flavors. It's a super hearty, rich, utterly delicious Japanese comfort food.

Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (1)

One of my favorite restaurants is Wann-Japanese Izakaya (in Seattle), and my favorite dish there is Okonomiyaki, the Yakisoba Omelet. It was what inspired me to make it.

Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (2)

What is Okonomiyaki?

  • Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake that contains a wide variety of ingredients. Okonomi is Japanese for as you like, and I took that quite literally.

This is my rendition of a Yakisoba Omelet.

Although I've included almost all of the traditional ingredients, I'm not claiming it's authentically Japanese -- in fact I know it's made quite differently. It's simply my best shot at replicating one I tasted and loved.

Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (3)

The Ingredients

To make this recipe easier for you, the Japanese ingredients are both described, and linked to a picture of what they look like, and where you can purchase it.

(In Japanese cuisine, these are very common ingredients and should all be readily available in most Japanase markets, if you have one near you. (Nijiya is my favorite in Los Angeles, and you can find several other locations here.)

Yakisoba noodles - Yaki is Japanese for grilled and Soba is Japanese for noodles, so this is literally grilled noodles. Yakisoba omelets are typically made with egg noodles.

Tenkasu - This is tiny scraps of tempura, which is crunchy bits of deep fried flour batter.

Katsuobushi - This is bonito flakes. It's dried, fermented, and smoked Skipjack tuna. Katsuobushi has a distinct umami flavor, and beautifully moves about when added to the top of a hot dish as a garnish.

Tororo Kombu - These are thin and long, dried shavings of Kombu that has been softened in vinegar. Kombu is a type of edible kelp that is often the basis of seasoning in Japanese cuisine, and like Katsuobushi, it brings an irreplaceable umami flavor to the dishes it's added to.

Okonomi sauce - This is best described as a thicker version of Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little honey.

Mirin - A sweet cooking rice wine. It's similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content and higher amount of sugar. It's slightly syrupy, and is one of the most important condiments in Japanese cooking.

Japanese mayonnaise -- It's very similar to American mayonnaise, but it's slightly richer and sweeter.

Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (4)

Kizami Nori - Nori is roasted seaweed, and you can buy it in sheets that are typically used for making sushi rolls. Kizami Nori is shredded Nori sheets.

Other ingredients include:

  • pork
  • scallions
  • cabbage
  • eggs
  • bean sprouts
  • grapeseed oil

Yakisoba Okonomiyaki recipe is truly magical, and watch out because it's very hard to stop eating.

Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (5)

Yakisoba Omelet (Okonomiyaki) Recipe

Valentina K. Wein

This Yakisoba Okonomiyaki recipe is bursting with umami flavors. It's a super hearty, rich, utterly delicious Japanese comfort food.

*The serving size is 4 to 8, because the recipe makes 4 (10-inch) pancakes -- and each one could be a whole meal, or shared as a side or appetizer.

5 from 3 votes

Print

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4 to 8

Calories 719 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the pork belly to a large sauté pan and place it over medium heat. Once it's cooked through (after about 3 minutes), add about ¾ of the scallions and all of the cabbage. Stir to blend and cook only long enough to wilt the cabbage completely, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool to room temperature.

  • Add the fresh Yakisoba noodles to a very large mixing bowl, using your hands to separate them. Add the bean sprouts and the cooled pork-cabbage mixture. Toss to blend.

  • Add 4 tablespoons of the Katsuobushi to a a mortar and pestle and grind until it becomes fine powder. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can tear it into smaller pieces (it's okay if it's not a powder). Add this to the bowl with the noodles. Now use your fingers to tear the Tororo Kombu into smaller pieces and add this to the mixture as well. Set aside.

  • In a small bowl whisk the eggs with 3 tablespoons of the Okonomi sauce and the Mirin. Once the mixture is smooth, drizzle it over all of the entire noodle mixture. Use your hands or two large spoons to mix everything together. Everything should be well coated with the eggs. Set aside.

  • Line two baking sheets with a double layer of paper towels and generously coat the bottom of an approximately 10-inch, non-stick sauté pan with grapeseed oil, and place it over high heat. Once it's very hot, add about 2 cups of the noodle mixture and use a flat-bottomed spatula to gently press it into a pancake, just about the size of the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high, and brown the bottom, about 5 minutes. To flip it over, place a plate that's larger than the diameter of the pan, upside down on top, and then invert it onto the plate. (Use pot holders!) Then you can easily slide it from the plate back into the pan on its other side. Brown this side as well, about another 4 minutes. There should be enough of the noodle mixture to make 4. As you remove each one from the pan, place them on the paper towel-lined baking sheets to drain a bit.

  • Drizzle each omelet with some of the remaining Okonomi sauce, and the Japanese mayonnaise (roughly ¾ teaspoon of each). Then, divided evenly amongst the 4 omelets, sprinkle the remaining scallions, remaining Katsuobushi, and the Kizami Nori.

NUTRITION

Calories: 719kcal

Keywords comfort food recipes for fall and winter, Asian comfort foods, umami recipes

Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking toAmazon.com.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christina | Christina's Cucina

    Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (10)
    Wow Valentina, this dish looks phenomenal! Everything about it appeals to me and I would love to try it! I'm off to look if there's a Nijiya near me!

    Reply

    • valentina

      Thanks so much, Christina. You made my day! 🙂 xo

      Reply

  2. Amber Harding

    Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (11)
    Tasty! I'm always in a mood for Japanese food!

    Reply

    • valentina

      Me too! 😀

      Reply

  3. Christie

    So many fabulous ingredients in this recipe and I love the way you have described them all.

    Reply

    • valentina

      Thanks so much, Christie! 🙂

      Reply

  4. peter @feedyoursoultoo

    This is such a cool dish. I have never seen it before and I can tell it would be so tasty. Thx for sharing.

    Reply

    • valentina

      Thank you for visiting my site and checking out my recipe.

      Reply

  5. Sarah - The Charming Detroiter

    Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (12)
    Wow, this looks so good! I especially love how you explained all of the ingredients so we can better understand the flavor profile! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • valentina

      Thanks so much Sarah! 🙂 Hope you try it!

      Reply

  6. Annie @ Annie's Noms

    This really does look as though it would be hard to stop eating!! What fantastic flavours you have going on in this recipe, I need to try it!

    Reply

    • valentina

      Hop you do, Annie. Thanks for visiting! 🙂

      Reply

  7. Barely Vegan

    I made something that seems similar to this, but it was a Korean style savory pancake. I looooove savory pancakes, so I will try this recipe. Thanks!

    Reply

    • valentina

      Thank you. Now I'll have to try Korean style! 🙂

      Reply

  8. David

    This looks completely addictive! All those flavors come together so beautifully. Happy weekend!

    Reply

    • valentina

      Thanks so much, David! It's one of my (new) favorites. Happy weekend to you, too! 🙂

      Reply

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Yakisoba Okonomiyaki Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between yakisoba and okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki is Japanese-style pancake made from eggs, flour, Chinese yam,water with many different toppings. We eat Japanese-style pancake with sweet and savory sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce. Yakisoba is a noodle dish made by frying steamed Chinese noodles with meat and vegetables.

What are the different types of okonomiyaki? ›

There are two significantly different types of Okonomiyaki. First, the Kansai or Osaka style, in which the ingredients are all mixed into a batter and then grilled. Second, the Hiroshima style, in which a small crepe-like pancake is grilled and then other ingredients are layered on top.

Why is my okonomiyaki soggy? ›

Mixing too much will create a very dense, heavy pancake, so keep it light. Make sure you only add the batter to the vegetables at the last minute before cooking. If you leave the vegetables in the batter too long, the water will come out and you'll have a soggy mess that's impossible to flip without breaking.

What is the difference between okonomiyaki and modan yaki? ›

Hiroshimafu-okonomiyaki is cooked by making layers of flour batter, yakisoba and pork, so each flavor and layer never get mixed, while Modanyaki is cooked by mixing and grilling okonomiyaki batter and yakisoba all together. Modanyaki is still Osaka styled Okonomiyaki but with Yakisoba in it.

What is the English name for okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki is sometimes translated into English as "as-you-like-it pancake". However, this may be misleading. Though it does consist of batter cooked on a griddle, okonomiyaki has nothing of the sweetness or fluffiness of pancakes, not to mention that it is usually filled with octopus, shrimp, pork, yam or kimchi.

Can I use okonomiyaki sauce for yakisoba? ›

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.

Which two styles is okonomiyaki well known for? ›

The dish is known for two distinct main variants, one in Kansai and Osaka and one in Hiroshima. Another variety is hirayachi, a thin and simple type made in Okinawa.

What is that flaky stuff on okonomiyaki? ›

Bonito flakes - known as katsuobushi in Japanese - are a strange food upon first sight. They are known to move or dance when used as a topping on foods such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

What is kaisen okonomiyaki? ›

This seafood okonomiyaki with squid and shrimp is made from an original recipe dough made from Japanese wheat flour with bonito flakes and kelp dashi, and baked in a unique manufacturing process. to make it fluffy.

What is the best flour for okonomiyaki? ›

The best think is to use regular flour, but then also add some yam starch or potato starch or rice flour to make the batter more sticky. See the Alternative Batter Recipes. Okonomi Sauce Substitutes: If you don't have Okonomi sauce on hand you can make your own.

Which cabbage is best for okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki is traditionally made with dashi, the essential Japanese soup stock, so if you have it, please use it in place of the vegetable stock. Half a regular-sized cabbage is all you'll need for this recipe and you could also substitute with purple cabbage.

Do you flip okonomiyaki? ›

Cook for about 5 minutes covered. After the bottom of the pancake is browned, flip it over and cook covered for another 5 minutes. Flip a third time and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, plate and add toppings of your choice: mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce etc.

What is Kansai style okonomiyaki? ›

Kansai style

Kansai-style okonomiyaki is the base on which other styles begin. A simple combination of cabbage, flour and egg cooked on an iron griddle and then topped with sliced pork and savory-sweet barbecue sauce, drizzled in Japanese mayonnaise and sprinkled with Aonori—powdered dried seaweed.

What is Osaka style okonomiyaki? ›

Along with takoyaki, this dish may rightly be described as Osaka soul food. While both dishes involve dissolving flour in dashi, okonomiyaki includes cabbage—a non-negotiable ingredient—usually along with pork, as well as whichever additional ingredients you like.

What kind of yam is used in okonomiyaki? ›

Yamaimo is Japanese mountain yam, a long root vegetable with thin, light brown skin and a slippery internal texture. (It can be omitted.) Hondashi is granulated dashi powder. (Water can be used in its place.)

What makes yakisoba different? ›

Yakisoba (Japanese: 焼きそば, [jakiꜜsoba], transl. 'fried noodle'), is a Japanese noodle stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in yakisoba are Chinese-style noodles (chuuka soba) made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce.

What is the Tokyo version of okonomiyaki? ›

A type of pan-fried batter or savoury pancake, monjayaki is Tokyo's answer to okonomiyaki, the iconic dish of Hiroshima and Osaka. Monjayaki retains a slightly runny appearance much like melted cheese even when cooked – but the delicious concoction tastes better than it looks.

What is the difference between monjya and okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki takes on a thick pancake-like shape and can even be cut into slices. On the contrary, monjayaki is characterized by a nearly liquid batter that needs to be scooped up with a small spatula when eaten. This has to do with the amount of water mixed in with the flour.

What is the difference between okonomiyaki styles? ›

For Kansai-style okonomiyaki, ingredients are mixed into a flour batter and then cooked as a single-layered pancake. In contrast, the Hiroshima-style layers its ingredients, beginning with a thin fried egg and crepe-like batter followed by vegetables, meat and stir-fried noodles.

References

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