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Japanese · Hiroshima Prefecture

Japanese Hiroshima Okonomiyaki Regional Style

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (広島焼き) is fundamentally different from Osaka's mixed okonomiyaki (Kansai-style) — not a batter with ingredients mixed in, but an intricate layered construction assembled on a flat iron teppan. The preparation sequence communicates the difference: first, a thin crepe-like batter base is poured onto the teppan; then layers are stacked on top — generous bean sprouts (moyashi), shredded cabbage, thin pork belly (buta), and optionally squid or other seafood; the entire stack is covered with a lid to steam-cook; then the stack is carefully flipped; then a portion of pre-cooked yakisoba noodles is placed on the side; then the entire construction is flipped again to combine noodles and layers; a raw egg cracked onto the teppan creates the base for final flip. The resulting dish is a tower of textures: crepe-thin base, cooked egg, noodles, steamed vegetables, and meat — dramatically different from Osaka's lighter, fluffy combined version. Okonomi sauce (Worcester-based), Kewpie mayonnaise, katsuobushi flakes, and aonori green nori complete the dish at the table. Hiroshima's okonomiyaki shops (okonomimura — Okonomiyaki Village in Naka-ku has eight floors of specialty restaurants) represent a food culture of intense local pride.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour portions
Sourced1of 11 in BC
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the batter base
120 g
plain flour
sifted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
240 ml
dashi or water
cold
Your own market
For the layers
400 g
bean sprouts (moyashi)
rinsed, drained — a full hand per portion
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
green cabbage
finely shredded
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
thin pork belly slices (buta)
sliced to 2–3 mm
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
pre-cooked yakisoba noodles
stir-fried separately with a little soy and sesame oil until seasoned and loosened
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
eggs
cracked to order, one per portion
Your own market
For the garnish
4 tbsp
okonomi sauce
Worcester-based; applied generously after plating
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
Kewpie mayonnaise
swirled over the top
Your own market
1 tsp
katsuobushi flakes
scattered; one pinch per portion
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
aonori
dried green nori; dusted over the top
Origin · JapanT Amano Trading · Vancouver →

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Whisk flour and cold dashi to a smooth, very thin batter — thinner than a Western pancake batter, approaching crêpe consistency. Rest for 10 minutes. Heat the teppan or a large flat crepe pan over medium-high heat; lightly oil the surface. Pour a ladleful of batter into a round roughly 18 cm in diameter, spreading it as thinly as possible. The batter is set when the edges are dry and the surface is no longer liquid-wet at the centre.
2
Immediately pile shredded cabbage onto the batter disc, then heap bean sprouts on top — the volume will look impossibly large; this is correct. Lay slices of pork belly across the full surface of the vegetable mound. Place a metal dome lid over the entire stack and allow the vegetables to steam. The stack is ready when the cabbage at the centre yields without resistance when pressed with a spatula and steam escapes freely at the lid's rim.
3
This is where the dish lives or dies. Remove the lid. In a single decisive movement, slide a wide spatula fully under the batter base and flip the entire stack in one complete turn — pork belly now faces down against the teppan, the thin batter disc faces up. Any hesitation tears the layers apart. The underside should contact the hot surface with an audible immediate sizzle.
4
Place the pre-cooked, seasoned yakisoba noodles on the teppan beside the flipped stack, forming a flat disc of noodles roughly the same diameter as the stack. Allow the noodles to sear briefly until they colour and become fragrant with the teppan's heat.
5
Slide the main stack on top of the noodle disc and press gently to unite the layers. In one complete, confident motion, flip the entire combined construction again — the batter base now faces down; the noodle layer is intermediate. The construction holds when it does not separate at the edges under light pressure from the spatula.
6
Crack one egg onto a cleared area of the teppan and spread it thinly with the spatula to match the diameter of the stack. Before the egg is fully set, slide the entire stack face-down onto the egg and press gently so the egg adheres. The egg is correctly incorporated when its edges are set and opaque but the surface still shows a faint gloss.
7
Transfer the finished stack to a plate, egg-side up. Spoon okonomi sauce generously over the surface. Swirl Kewpie mayonnaise over the sauce. Scatter katsuobushi flakes and dust aonori across the top. Serve immediately while the katsuobushi flickers in the residual heat.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Counter seat at an okonomimura specialist teppan in Hiroshima's Naka-ku: the benchmark against which all versions are measured, built by a chef who constructs dozens of stacks in sequence on a seasoned iron surface.
02
Estate — Home teppan or professional flat griddle at sustained high heat, with fresh pork belly sourced from a Japanese butcher, genuine yakisoba noodles, and imported okonomi sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise.
03
Market — Large crepe pan at maximum home-hob heat; supermarket pork belly sliced thin; fresh bean sprouts and cabbage; proprietary okonomi or tonkatsu sauce; standard mayonnaise.
04
House — Any flat pan capable of a complete flip; store-cupboard substitutions for the sauce; the layered construction method — not the mixed Osaka approach — remains the defining minimum requirement.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. Batter edges are dry and the surface shows no liquid movement before the first layer of cabbage is added.
◇Touch. Cabbage at the centre of the steamed stack yields without resistance under the spatula, confirming the interior is cooked through.
◇Sound. The flipped stack meets the teppan with an immediate, sharp sizzle — confirming the surface is hot enough to hold the construction without sticking.
◇Sight. The egg spread beneath the final stack shows set, opaque edges while retaining a faint surface gloss — the correct moment to press the stack onto it.
◇Sight. Katsuobushi flakes visibly flutter over the finished, plated stack — confirming sufficient residual heat and that the dish must go to table at once.
◇Where it lives or dies. The single decisive flip of the full layered stack — performed once, without hesitation — must be total and complete; a partial or repeated flip collapses the layers and the dish cannot recover.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Born Dream Junmai Daiginjo
Katokichibee Shouten · Fukui
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Sake
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

T Amano Trading
Vancouver · aonori
→
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