What’s Okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki(お好み焼) is a Japanese cabbage-based savory pancake. “Okonomi（お好み）” means “Whatever you like” and “Yaki（焼き）” means “Grill”, so basically you can just “Grill whatever YOU LIKE!”
The most typical Okonomiyaki is made with batter which contains flour, egg, water, and shredded cabbage and a variety of ingredients such as: meat, pork, beef, and seafood with shrimp and squid being the most popular.
Okonomiyaki can also be cooked with vegetables such as green onions.
Teppan, a special hotplate!
In the Okonomiyaki restaurants, there are special hotplates called Teppan（鉄板）which usually are built into the table. At home, we usually use hotplates or frying pans to cook with.
A Balance of texture is highly important. Good Okonomiyaki is crispy and crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy in the inside. Good Okonomiyaki also has a delicate harmony of ingredients.
Toppings are also important
Toppings also have a crucial role when preparing Okonomoiyaki.
There are many seasoning companies manufacture their own Okonomiyaki sauce in Japan. Okonomiyaki souce is similar to a typical steak sauce, but it is much thicker and sweeter. When you apply the sauce to the top of Okonomiyaki, it stays, as it is very thick.
Besides the sauce, mayonnaise, Katsuobushi(dried bonito flakes), Aonori(dried seaweed flakes) and Benishoga(red pickled ginger) are popular toppings.
These days, it’s also popular to draw a face or an image on top of Okonomiyaki with colored sauces.