Japanese Teppan Okonomiyaki: Osaka and Hiroshima Traditions Compared

Ingredients

• For the base batter (both styles)
• 200 g plain flour
• 300 ml dashi, cold
• 100–120 g nagaimo (mountain yam), peeled, finely grated fresh — do not substitute powder
• For the Osaka-style cake
• 200 g cabbage, finely shredded; weight roughly equal to flour
• 2 eggs, beaten into the batter before cooking
• 30–45 ml tenkasu (tempura scraps), 2–3 tbsp; stirred in just before cooking
• For the Hiroshima-style cake
• 200 g cabbage, finely shredded, heaped onto the griddle in a separate mountain per cake
• 100 g bean sprouts, raw, divided between cakes
• 200 g yakisoba or udon noodles, pre-cooked; divided between cakes
• 2 eggs, one per cake; cracked directly onto the griddle for the base layer
• For the toppings (both styles)
• 60 ml okonomi sauce (Worcestershire-based), applied with a brush in a thin, even coat; sauce goes on before mayonnaise
• 60 ml Kewpie mayonnaise, applied after okonomi sauce
• 4 g aonori (dried seaweed flakes), scattered over the finished cake
• 10 g katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), scattered last; the heat of the cake animates the flakes
• For the griddle
• 30 g lard, for greasing the teppan; use at 220 °C for authentic flavour

Method

1. 1
   Combine 200 g plain flour and 300 ml cold dashi in a bowl. Add 100–120 g freshly grated nagaimo. Stir minimally — stop the moment no dry flour remains. Over-mixing develops gluten and produces a dense, tough pancake. Cover and rest the batter 15 minutes in the refrigerator; the flour hydrates fully and the nagaimo proteins distribute evenly. The rested batter will appear slightly thickened and cohesive.
2. 2
   For the Osaka cakes: remove the batter from the refrigerator. Beat 2 eggs and fold them into the batter with 200 g finely shredded cabbage and 30–45 ml tenkasu. The mixture is more cabbage than batter — this proportion keeps the cake light. Stir only until just combined. The batter should look ragged and cabbage-heavy, not smooth.
3. 3
   Heat the teppan or a heavy flat griddle to 220 °C and grease with lard. Pour half the Osaka batter onto the griddle and shape into a round cake roughly 2 cm thick. Cook over medium heat — not high — for 4–5 minutes. This is where the Osaka cake lives or dies: resist the urge to flip early. Wait until the top surface is fully set and firm to the touch when pressed lightly at the centre. An unset centre will collapse the cake on the flip. When the surface no longer yields, flip once with a decisive motion.
4. 4
   Cook the second side of the Osaka cake for a further 4–5 minutes over medium heat. The underside should be deep golden and the cake should hold its shape when a spatula is inserted beneath it. Remove to a board and repeat with the remaining Osaka batter.
5. 5
   For the Hiroshima cakes: wipe the griddle and regrease with lard. Pour a thin crepe of batter (roughly one-quarter of the remaining batter) and spread it to a round of about 20 cm. Immediately heap half the shredded cabbage (100 g) onto the crepe, then half the bean sprouts (50 g), then half the pre-cooked noodles (100 g). Do not modify the layer sequence — each layer has a thermal function in the stack. Cook over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes. Watch the exposed cabbage: when steam rises visibly from the mound and the outer cabbage leaves begin to wilt, the stack is ready to flip.
6. 6
   Clear a space on the griddle beside the Hiroshima stack and crack one egg directly onto the hot surface. Break the yolk and spread it slightly. Immediately slide the entire cabbage-and-noodle stack onto the egg, noodle-side down, cabbage now on top. Press firmly but briefly with the spatula. The egg is now the base. Cook for a further 4–5 minutes until the egg is set and the underside is golden. Remove to a board and repeat for the second Hiroshima cake.
7. 7
   Finish both styles identically. Using a pastry brush, apply okonomi sauce in a thin, even glaze — the sauce must coat, not pool. Apply Kewpie mayonnaise over the sauce layer in a lattice or spiral. Scatter aonori and then katsuobushi over the surface. The heat of the cake will cause the katsuobushi to move. Serve immediately from the griddle surface.