おこのみやき(Okonomiyaki)

Okonomiyaki- Okonomi, meaning "whatever you like" and Yaki as in "grilled". So basically its a savory pancake (typically savory) filled with whatever you like. The only good memory of my grandma, mom and me together (mom's mom before the marrow cancer hit) was us making Okonomiyaki in her house in Taiwan or Japan together. Some how that 70 year old woman with bone marrow cancer was able to hold me and cook at the same time just to make sure i knew exactly how it was done. I never forgot that recipe, and i still make it today.... not every week though, maybe once a month if that. But when i do, my family and friends usually somehow manage to come over and get a piece or two.

So here is the basic ingredient list for how i make it, seeing has some things are really hard to obtain in Virginia VS other places.

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Bonito Stock/ Hondashi/ Bonito Dashii (if its powdered please make 1 cup of it in liquid form)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
about 8 Pieces of Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Pork sliced VERY Thinly
1 Egg if you can get your hands on Yamaimo 山芋 or Nagaimo (specifically) ながいも (Click for more details), its honestly all the same, otherwise use 2 eggs.
Tempura Scraps (I sometimes substitute Furikake for this depending on what i have left over) but if you    don't have any of these on hand, feel free to use Panko bread crumbs, or coarsely smashed PLAIN croutons, no need for other weird flavors to be mixed in with really asian flavors, its not good.... just trust me on that one.
Yamaimo (If you have it) 1/2 cup grated, yes it will be sticky and slippery.
8-10 Shrimps cooked and halved
Octopus chunks (if you have it, its not really necessary i just like it)
1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder (this will give it a bit of a rise when you make it)
1/2 a cabbage head coarsely chopped into ribbons
2 sprigs of spring onion cut into 1" pieces

Japanese Mayonnaise (Yes, you need it, it will NOT taste right without it)
Okonomiyaki Sauce or Tonkatsu Sauce (which is what i use, Bull Dog is the brand name and its delicious)

Get all of your dry ingredients together: Flower, Baking Powder, Salt and Pepper together and loosely mix it together, then add in the dashii stock, egg(s), grated Yamaimo and mix until all the flower pockets are gone, but dont over mix. Then gently toss in the cabbage, shrimp, spring onion, any cooked meat at this point. Once you have that done, go ahead and fire up a pan or a griddle to medium high heat. Place some vegetable oil into the pan once its hot and place the meat down. Once one side of the meat is cooked flip it over and place on about 2 cups of the okonomiyaki mix and cook until it starts to become golden brown on the underside. At this point the meat should be fully cooked and also attached to the okonomiyaki mix, if not dont worry. Flip it as best as you can, i've just gotten used to flipping big pancakes so its pretty easy for me, but you can always just slip a plate over the pan flip it and then push it back on (unless you are cooking on a griddle, but keep practicing your flips, you will get it one day!)

Cook until the other side is golden brown and then BEFORE you take it out of the pan, top it off with some chopped spring onions, Japanese Mayonnaise, and Tonkatsu Sauce.

This is just the traditional way i've always had it. I play around depending on my leftovers to make something new here and there so please give it a try and let me know what you think. Happy Eating!