Japanese food

Last update September 7, 2025

Japanese Food - Okonomi-yaki -



  

Okonomi Yaki

Japanese-style Pizza (baked batter mixed with ingredients)

Well, it looks like a pizza, but it’s actually something entirely different. To sum up, Okonomi-yaki is a baked batter mixed with various ingredients, such as slices of pork, squid, shrimp, noodles, small-cut cabbage, Moyashi, and others. Menu items vary by restaurant, but generally, Buta Tama refers to a version containing pork, and Modan Yaki is an item mixed with Soba noodles. Neghi Yaki uses Neghi as the main ingredient, as the name suggests. Just as the word “Okonomi” meaning “as you like” suggests, you can drop almost anything (unless it’s not edible) in the batter and just bake. That’s why customers cook their food themselves at the Teppan (iron plate) equipped at the table. Along with Takoyaki, Okonomi-yaki is one of the Konamon (batter-based foods) and varies depending on the region. Kansai style features a somewhat fluffy touch, often by using grated Nagaimo, while Hiroshima style is relatively lean and solid. The cooking process also differs between the two. The Kansai version uses an ingredient-mixed batter, and the Hiroshima method bakes the batter and ingredients separately and combines them later. After cooking, the food is served with special brown sauce, mayonnaise, Katsuo Bushi and Ao Nori (green dried seaweed powder).

japanese-food-okonomiyaki
Kansai-style Okonomi-yaki prepared at home. 		japanese-food-okonomiyaki-kyushu
Okonomi-yaki served at a shop in Fukuoka prefecture (geographically influenced by Hiroshima style). 		japanese-food-okonomiyaki-home
Home-made Kansai-style Okonomi-yaki.
japanese-food-okonomiyaki
Kansai-style Okonomi-yaki prepared at home.

japanese-food-okonomiyaki-kyushu
Okonomi-yaki served at a shop in Fukuoka prefecture (geographically influenced by Hiroshima style).

japanese-food-okonomiyaki-home
Home-made Kansai-style Okonomi-yaki.