PINOY OKONOMIYAKI

Finding Japanese ingredients in the Philippines is not impossible, but not easy either. When my mom lived in Japan, she could buy all the ingredients she needed for Japanese recipes at local supermarkets. Now, if she’s craving for Japanese home-cooked dishes, she needs to create them using “makeshift” ingredients and recipes.

In this recipe, she used whatever was available in the kitchen or in the local grocery store. If you want to try this simple, “Pinoy/Filipino" version of the Japanese “okonomiyaki”, please feel free to do so :) Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients (2-3 servings, depending on your appetite!):

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (or more, as needed)

¾ cup diluted Hon Dashi (this is available in the oriental section of local groceries)

2 medium-sized eggs

2 tbsp panko/Japanese breadcrumbs (optional)

½ small cabbage, chopped coarsely

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

1-2 stalks leek, thinly sliced

6 bacon-cut pork (thinly sliced w/ no skin)

Okonomiyaki sauce (this is available in the oriental section of local groceries as well)

Kewpie mayonnaise (this is available in the oriental section of local groceries as well)

Katsuobushi (more commonly known as bonito flakes; again this is available in local groceries)

Directions:

Put 2 cups of all-purpose flour in a bowl. Add diluted Hon Dashi and mix until even (tip: use chopsticks in mixing). Add 1 egg and continue mixing. At this point, you may check if the consistency is fine—it should be a little thicker than a pancake mixture. Next, add the panko and mix again (this is optional—I just find that it adds more coarseness/thickness to the okonomiyaki, replacing some of the unavailable Japanese ingredients). Next, add the cabbage, onion and leeks to the batter. Mix until even.

Heat a non-stick pan (better if you a flat griller; you can cook and eat the okonomiyaki on the spot!) and line up 2-3 slices of bacon-cut pork (this is for those who want to ensure that the meat is cooked all the way through). Turn the meat when it’s light brown and add the okonomiyaki mixture into the pan, making sure that the meat’s fully covered (you may use your spatula to shape the edges, but I find it more fun to eat unevenly shaped okonomiyaki :D).  Cook until about 5 minutes (until golden brown) and then flip the okonomiyaki to cook the other side.

 

Once the other side is cooked, flip the okonomiyaki again and this time, you may add the sauces/toppings. First, add the okonomiyaki sauce (or tonkatsu sauce if this is the only one available in your local grocery). Next, add the mayonnaise. Finally, top it with katsuobushi/bonito flakes. (Note: If you are lucky enough to find aonori/Japanese powdered seaweed, please use this as a topping as well!)

***Hope you liked my mom’s version of okonomiyaki!