Okonomiyaki's Best Cheese: A Melty, Savory Delight

Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese dish that can be made with a variety of ingredients, including cheese. The name okonomiyaki means grilled as you like it in Japanese, reflecting the dish's customizable nature. While the base ingredients typically include wheat flour batter and cabbage, the toppings can vary greatly, from meat and seafood to wasabi and cheese. This versatility has led to the dish being referred to as a Japanese pizza.

When it comes to choosing the right cheese for okonomiyaki, there are a few options to consider. One popular variation is Mochi Cheese Okonomiyaki, which combines shredded cheese with mochi, or Japanese rice cake, giving the dish a gooey texture similar to a cheese pizza. Another option is to use cheddar cheese, which melts and forms pools of cheese inside the pancake, while also crisping on the outside.

In addition to the type of cheese, the style of okonomiyaki also plays a role in the overall taste and presentation. The two main variations are Kansai or Osaka-style, where the ingredients are mixed together before cooking, and Hiroshima-style, where the ingredients are layered separately.

Mochi cheese okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake, often referred to as "Japanese pizza" in the US. The name means "grilled as you like it", and the dish can be customised according to preference. There are two main styles: Hiroshima-style and Osaka-style. The former is layered like an omelette, while the latter is mixed together and cooked like a pancake.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups okonomiyaki powder
• 3 cups sliced cabbage
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 2 mochi (rice cake, about 2oz, chopped)
• 1/2 cup bonito (optional)
• 4 tsp okonomiyaki sauce
• 2 tsp Japanese mayonnaise (e.g. Kewpie)

Method:

• Mix okonomiyaki powder with water in a bowl until smooth.
• Mix in egg, cabbage, mochi and cheese in a bowl.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan, then pour in the batter, leaving some room around the edge.
• Add beef around the edge and cook for 3 minutes.
• Put the beef on top of the pancake, flip it over, and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Spread on okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, then sprinkle on some bonito, if desired.

Note: You can substitute beef with shrimp, pork, or squid. If you don't have okonomiyaki sauce, you can mix oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and mayonnaise, 1 tsp each.

Mentai cheese okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake, loaded with vegetables and other fillings. The name means "grilled as you like it", reflecting the fact that the dish can be customised according to individual preference.

One variation is Mentai Cheese Okonomiyaki, which involves adding mentaiko (pollock roe) and cheese to the basic okonomiyaki mixture. The mentaiko adds spicy, salty flavours, while the cheese melts to form pools of cheese inside the pancake and crisps on the outside.

Ingredients:

• 400 grams cabbage
• 60 grams scallions
• 10 grams katsuobushi
• 140 grams all-purpose flour
• 280 grams nagaimo (peeled and grated)
• 1/2 cup dashi stock (or cold water)
• Mentaiko
• Cheese
• Otafuku's Okonomiyaki Sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Chopped tomatoes

Method:

• Remove the core and tough parts of the stems from the cabbage and shred it.
• In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, scallions, katsuobushi, and all-purpose flour, tossing with forks or your fingers to distribute everything evenly.
• Peel the nagaimo and grate it into a separate bowl. You can also roughly chop it and puree it in a food processor.
• Add the eggs and dashi, and whisk together until everything is uniformly incorporated.
• Add the mentaiko and cheese to the mixture.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the cabbage mixture and stir together until all the cabbage has been moistened and there are no large lumps of flour, but be careful not to overmix.
• Lay out the bacon in a cold pan, overlapping slightly to account for shrinkage. If you aren't using bacon, you'll need to add a few teaspoons of vegetable oil to the pan.
• Add a third of the cabbage mixture into a mound on top of the bacon. Press down on the mound using a spatula to flatten out the top and then push the edges back towards the centre to make a round pancake that's roughly the same thickness from edge to edge (it should be about 3/4-inch thick).
• Cover with a lid and cook until the bottom is well browned (about 7 minutes).
• Flip the okonomiyaki. If you are unsure about your flipping abilities, lightly oil and preheat a second pan, then you can use the second pan to cover the first and flip the okonomiyaki straight into the second pan using oven mitts to hold the hot pans.
• Press down on the top of the okonomiyaki with a spatula and cook uncovered until the second side is browned as well (about 7 minutes).
• Slide the okonomiyaki out of the pan onto a plate and top with Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, chopped tomatoes, aonori, katsuobushi and benishoga.

Cheese and other toppings

Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake, often described as a "Japanese pizza". The name means "grilled as you like it", and the dish is highly customisable. While there are two main styles of Okonomiyaki—Hiroshima-style and Osaka-style—the toppings and fillings are largely up to the preferences of the cook and customer.

The most common cheese used in Okonomiyaki is cheddar, which melts to form pools of cheese inside the pancake and crisps on the outside. However, shredded cheese is also used.

Other common toppings include:

• Okonomiyaki sauce (made with Worcestershire sauce)
• Japanese mayonnaise
• Aonori (green nori or dried seaweed flakes)
• Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• Benishouga (red pickled ginger)
• Chilli sauce
• Curry
• Tomatoes
• Hollandaise sauce
• Smoked salmon
• Thyme
• Scallions
• Bonito (fish flakes)
• Mochi (Japanese rice cake)
• Yakisoba
• Udon
• Mentaiko (spicy, salty pollack roe)
• Beef
• Shrimp
• Pork
• Squid
• Octopus

Okonomiyaki sauce

Ingredients

• Worcestershire sauce
• Sugar
• Ketchup
• Oyster sauce

Some recipes suggest adding soy sauce or mentsuyu instead of Worcestershire sauce, and honey instead of sugar.

How to Make Okonomiyaki Sauce

Combine oyster sauce and sugar in a small bowl and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then, add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Adjust the quantities to your taste.

Storage

You can store okonomiyaki sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Osaka-style vs Hiroshima-style

Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake that includes vegetables, a batter, and usually meat or seafood. The name means "grilled as you like it", reflecting the fact that the dish can be customised with a variety of ingredients. The two dominant styles of okonomiyaki are Osaka-style and Hiroshima-style.

Osaka-style okonomiyaki is the original version of the dish, which is why it is sometimes considered the "normal" okonomiyaki. It is also the easier of the two to prepare. All the ingredients are mixed together in a bowl and then poured directly onto a hot griddle to cook. The ingredients typically include a thin batter mixture made from flour, water, eggs, and dashi stock, shredded cabbage, sliced green onions, and thin slices of pork. The dish is often topped with a strong drizzle of sweet and salty eel sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, bonito flakes, aonori (dried seaweed), and pickled ginger.

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, on the other hand, involves layering the ingredients rather than mixing them. First, a crepe-like batter is created, then piled with cabbage, meat, and other vegetables. A bit more batter is drizzled on top to bind the ingredients, and then the entire thing is flipped over. The crepe-like batter acts as a lid while the cabbage and meat steam. Noodles are then stir-fried in the shape of a pancake, and the okonomiyaki is placed on top. A fried egg finishes the dish. This style of okonomiyaki is much more filling than the Osaka version.

While Osaka-style and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki are the two dominant styles, there are endless variations of the dish. For example, mochi cheese okonomiyaki includes mochi (rice cake) and shredded cheese, giving the dish a gooey texture.

Frequently asked questions