What do you like Japanese food? Okonomiyaki!

The title is a reference to the common mistake my first years make when they ask me questions. The pattern "What XYZ do you like?" often comes out as, "What do you like XYZ?"

So yeah, okonomiyaki! I bet you're wondering how that's pronounced. For the record, like this: OH-koh-noh-mee-YAH-kee.

What is okonomiyaki? Some sources describe it as a "Japanese pizza." I don't like that comparison, as I think it gives the wrong impression. I would liken it much more to a large, flour-y omelet. Okonomiyaki at its core is made with whole eggs, flour, and cabbage. Shredded cabbage is mixed into the egg and flour, creating a thick batter. Lots of times, bits of seafood like octopus and shrimp are also mixed into the batter. Then, you plop it down onto a skillet or griddle ( a Japanese flat-top griddle is called a "teppan yaki"). While the first side cooks, you press your toppings of choice into the exposed, uncooked side. After a while you flip it, and after it's done, remove it to your plate or whatever you're serving it on. Usually you put on some additional toppings at this point, namely okonomiyaki sauce (sweet brown sauce), mayonnaise, green seaweed flakes, and maybe some benishouga (red pickled ginger).  Among additions I've seen are pork, squid, other seafood,  cheese, beef, potato, and so on. The list of possibilities pretty much goes on forever.

Enough explanation? Picture time!

This is a standard okonomiyaki from the conbini (convenience store). It has bonito flakes, seaweed powder, okonomiyaki sauce, and mayo.

This variation has other veggies like carrots and corn (actually corn is a GRAIN... just saying), and some yakisoba cooked into it. 

This version has "negi" (scallions) in the batter and on top. This style also sits the whole "patty" in a bit of broth, effectively making it an umami sponge. It tastes fine, but my preferences run towards non-soggy food in general. Hence why I don't care for soupy rice either. 

This is okonomiyaki cooking on the "teppan yaki" I mentioned earlier. This is a fairly common DYI-ish kind of restaurant. They bring you the ingredients in a bowl, and you mix 'em up and plop 'em onto the griddle yourself. It's a nice engaging style of dining.

There are many "yaki" foods, as you will see as I cover them. I already mentioned yakisoba, and that will get its own post as well. 

Oh right! Etymology time. So, the "yaki" part of "okonomiyaki" comes from the verb "yaku", which equates to many different things in English, such as "to grill", "to sautee", "to barbecue", "to bake", etc. Which meaning it refers to changes according to context and possible other verby affixes you can add. In this case, I'd say it means "to pan fry", or "sautee" if you're feeling swanky. The "okonomi" part basically means "to your liking" or  "to your preference." The idea is essentially that this is a basic dish with endless possible toppings and additions, so you can put whatever you like in it.

Okonomiyaki is part of real Japanese comfort food; old style home cookin'. It reminds me a lot of the extensive omelet menu at those 24-hour style diners in the states. You can get just about anything in them. And no, I have not yet tried making a mini-okonomiyaki and eating it on a bun like a burger... but I really want to. We shall see!