Grilled As You Like It

Osaka mixes everything together, Hiroshima stacks it in layers - the regional rivalry behind Japan's favourite savoury pancake

The first okonomiyaki I made was a disaster. Batter too thick, cabbage burnt on one side, raw on the other. The flip - that confident, one-handed flip you see at restaurants - sent half of it onto the hotplate's edge. My Japanese mother-in-law watched politely, said nothing, then made hers in about four minutes flat.

Okonomiyaki translates roughly to "grilled as you like it." The name suggests freedom, but there are rules. Regional rules. Osaka and Hiroshima have been arguing about the correct way to make this dish for decades. Neither side is backing down.

Two Cities, Two Philosophies

The difference isn't subtle. Osaka-style mixes everything into the batter before cooking - cabbage, pork, tempura scraps, whatever you want. You pour it onto the griddle as one thick mass. It's democratic - everything becomes one thing.

Hiroshima takes the opposite approach. Thin crepe-like batter goes down first. Then a mountain of cabbage. Then pork. Then yakisoba noodles. Then a fried egg. Each layer cooks separately before being stacked. It's architectural. The noodles make it closer to a meal than a snack.

Which is better? Depends who you ask. Osaka locals find Hiroshima-style fussy. Hiroshima locals find Osaka-style lazy. I've learned not to express a preference.

The Osaka Way

Osaka-style dominates outside Japan - it's what most people picture when they hear okonomiyaki. The batter is thick, made from flour, dashi, grated nagaimo (mountain yam, which adds that slightly gooey texture), eggs, and shredded cabbage. Everything else is optional.

The standard toppings: sliced pork belly, sometimes squid or prawns, green onions, pickled ginger. Tempura bits (tenkasu) add crunch. Some places offer cheese or mochi. Nobody will judge you.

Cooking takes about six minutes per side. The flip matters. You want enough confidence to commit but not so much that you launch it across the restaurant. Use two spatulas if you need to. Everyone does at first.

Top with okonomiyaki sauce - sweeter and thicker than Worcestershire, with fruit undertones - then mayonnaise in aggressive zigzags. Bonito flakes go on last, waving in the steam like they're still alive. That movement never stops being unnerving.

The Hiroshima Way

Hiroshima-style requires patience. The batter is thin, almost crêpe-like, spread into a circle on the griddle. Cabbage goes on top - far more than looks reasonable. The pile compresses as it cooks.

Pork belly drapes over the cabbage. You flip the whole thing, let the pork crisp underneath while the cabbage steams. Separately, yakisoba noodles fry on the griddle until slightly charred. A fried egg joins them, yolk runny if you're doing it right.

Then assembly: noodles on the egg, the cabbage stack on top, flip once more so the egg ends up on top. Sauce. Mayo. Bonito. Green onion. The cross-section reveals the layers - that's half the appeal.

It's messier to eat. The egg yolk runs. The noodles slide. You need the small metal spatula (hera) they give you, not chopsticks.

Where to Eat

In Osaka, head to Dotonbori or Shinsekai. Chibo and Mizuno are famous but expect queues. Smaller neighbourhood spots often do it better - look for places where the tables have built-in hotplates and the walls are yellowed from decades of cooking smoke.

In Hiroshima, Okonomimura packs two dozen stalls into one building near Peace Park. Each stall has about eight counter seats. You pick one, watch the cook work the long griddle, eat when it's ready. Expect ¥900-1,200 per okonomiyaki, cash only at most stalls.

For Tokyo, Sometaro in Asakusa has been doing this since 1937. Wooden floors, paper lanterns, low tables with griddles sunk into them. Osaka-style here. The seafood mix is good.

Making It at Home

You don't need a teppan. A large non-stick frying pan works fine. The critical ingredient is nagaimo - that grated mountain yam that gives the batter its signature texture. Skip it and the okonomiyaki turns out dense instead of fluffy. Find it at Asian grocers, usually near the tofu.

Basic Osaka ratio: 100g flour, 150ml dashi, 1 egg, 4g grated nagaimo, 150g shredded cabbage. Mix loosely - overmixing makes it tough. Let the batter rest ten minutes before cooking.

Medium heat. Don't press down while cooking. That squeezes out moisture and makes it dense. Flip when the bottom is golden and the edges look set, about five minutes. Another four minutes on the other side.

The sauce is hard to substitute. Bull-Dog brand okonomiyaki sauce is available internationally. In a pinch, mix Worcestershire with ketchup and a little honey - it's not the same, but it's close enough.

The Third Option

Monjayaki deserves mention. Tokyo's version looks like someone sneezed on a griddle - a runny batter cooked until it forms a thin crust on the bottom while the top stays gooey. You scrape it off with tiny spatulas and eat it in bits.

It's an acquired taste. The texture is... unusual. But if you're in Tokyo and want something different from standard okonomiyaki, try it at Tsukishima. The whole neighbourhood specialises in it. Dozens of shops on one street.

Which brings us back to the name. Okonomi - as you like it. The whole point is that there's no single correct version. Osaka mixes. Hiroshima layers. Tokyo makes a mess. All of them work.