Have you tried Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) before? It’s a Japanese savory pancake that contains a variety of ingredients. “Okonomi” in Japanese means “as you like it”, so it’s a savory pancake that contains whatever ingredients you like. Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki (広島風お好み焼き) is a type of Okonomiyaki that originated in Hiroshima, Japan.
Two Styles of Okonomiyaki
1. Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki
Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki is made of batter, which includes flour and water or dashi, shredded cabbage, egg, and green onion along with the protein of your choice, such as pork belly slices or seafood. You can find my Osaka-style Okonomiyaki recipe here.
2. Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki uses almost the same ingredients, but they are layered rather than mixed in with the batter like Osaka-style. Not only that, fried egg and yakisoba noodles (or sometimes udon noodles) are used as toppings. When you are in Hiroshima and order “okonomiyaki”, this layered okonomiyaki with noodles and fried egg would come to the table instead of Osaka-style Okonomiyaki. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki has been around since the 1950s. At that time, the country was quite poor and people only used a little bit of flour and vegetables to make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. The current Hiroshima Okonomiyaki with meat, egg, and noodles is a version that has evolved throughout the years. Nowadays there are over 2,000 restaurants within the Hiroshima area that specialized in Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki!
Osaka vs. Hiroshima
Which one is tastier? Well, that’s really up to your preference. If you like fried noodles and less doughy texture, Hiroshima okonomiyaki is definitely your choice. I like both styles of okonomiyaki, so it’d be very hard for me to pick just one! At home, I just cook them alternatively.
3 Okonomiyaki Toppings
1. Okonomi Sauce
I would say the important and delicious element for both Hiroshima- and Osaka-style okonomiyaki is the Okonomi Sauce (お好みソース). Originally, Worcestershire sauce was used but throughout the years the flavor has evolved to the current flavor. Okonomi Sauce has a sweet and sour flavor that’s slightly different from Tonkatsu Sauce and it’s thicker consistency so it goes well with Okonomiyaki. Oh so delicious!
2. Japanese Mayonnaise
Some people would call Japanese mayo Kewpie Mayo. It has a sweet and tangy flavor that is well-balanced. Many JOC readers have told me that they haven’t gone back to the original mayo they had been using since they tasted Japanese mayonnaise!
3. Aonori (dried green seaweed):
It is dried green (Ao) seaweed (Nori) flakes/powder. This umami-rich seaweed has a bright intense green color and has a unique fragrant. Japan has many types of seaweed from wakame, nori, to kombu. We use the specific name for each type of seaweed instead of just calling them “seaweed”. It helps identify which is the correct seaweed for a different type of dishes.
Itadakimasu!
I hope my tutorial video and step-by-step instructions with pictures would help you achieve the delicious Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki! If you haven’t tried Osaka-style, give it a try next! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Other Pancake Recipes on Just One Cookbook
Korean Pancake (savory)Osaka-Style Pancake (savory)Red Bean Pancake (sweet)Fluffy Japanese Souffle Pancake (sweet)
