As You Like It

Alan Nakagawa has fond memories of okonomiyaki from his childhood. Make that memory, singular. When Nakagawa, who grew up on the western edge of Koreatown, was 9, his mother sent him to a friend’s house one day after school.

“My friend’s mom cooked okonomiyaki in a skillet,” he remembers. “She said, ‘It’s a Japanese dish like a pancake or pizza. I thought ‘Wow! What is this? This is really good.’ ”

Nakagawa didn’t see okonomiyaki again until he was in his mid-20s, when he went to Japan on a Monbusho scholarship. Today, the MTA senior public arts officer and multimedia artist is an okonomiyaki fanatic.

He regularly prepares the soulful dish for family and friends on a hot plate at the dinner table so that everyone can watch the savory pancakes cook. To Nakagawa, this participatory aspect of okonomiyaki is half the fun.

What exactly is okonomiyaki? According to John Nathan, Takashima professor of cultural studies at UC Santa Barbara, the word literally translated means “the honorable as-you-like-it grilled thing.”

The “as you like it” part is key. You can put practically anything into okonomiyaki. Nakagawa, for example, has eaten okonomiyaki with seafood, with natto (fermented soy beans) and kimchi, with sausage and with yakisoba noodles.

The adventuresome cook even prepared okonomiyaki topped with black mole, a variation you most definitely will not find in Japan.

The options are endless, but several components are nonnegotiable. These include a simple batter, usually a combination of water (or water combined with dashi, bonito stock) and Japanese flour, which is finer than most American flours, whole egg and cabbage.

Most recipes, which are difficult to find in English, also call for katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and aonori (dried green seaweed flakes) as condiments.

And then there is the requisite okonomiyaki sauce, a sweet brown sauce similar to Worcestershire but thicker. Otafuku, the first company to manufacture okonomiyaki sauce in Japan (beginning in 1950), has offices in Torrance.

Two final additions to most styles of okonomiyaki--we’ll get to the variations later--are Japanese mayonnaise and hot Japanese mustard. It is best to use squeeze bottles for the mayonnaise and mustard in order to make decorative designs on the finished okonomiyaki.

So why isn’t okonomiyaki more popular in the United States? (In the Los Angeles area, there are only two okonomiyaki restaurants, Tombo in Torrance and Takoyaki Gen in Little Tokyo). Certainly the dish is ubiquitous in Japan, where there are 13,000 okonomiyaki-ya (specialty restaurants). At many of these family-run spots, patrons cook their own okonomiyaki on teppan-style grills built into the tables.

One theory for okonomiyaki’s obscurity in this country is that it is a relatively new dish, dating to the late 1940s, after World War II, when rice supplies in Japan were extremely low and people had to turn to other food sources, such as flour. In addition, says Nakagawa, it was considered a poor man’s dish in its early years.

Over time, as food supplies in Japan grew more bountiful, people began to add pork, seafood and other luxurious extras. But even today, okonomiyaki is considered a proletarian dish, especially popular with students.

Consequently, when Nakagawa travels to Japan on business and tells his hosts he would like to eat okonomiyaki, he gets curious looks and is taken not to okonomiyaki-ya, but to more upscale restaurants where okonomiyaki is just one item on the menu.

“It’s almost as if it would be an insult if we just ate okonomiyaki,” says Nakagawa.

Although Nakagawa does not have a favorite kind of okonomiyaki, when he cooks, he makes the Kansai (or Osaka) style, in which the batter and all of the ingredients are mixed together and poured on the grill to form a circle about 8 inches across. (Think individual pizza size.)

Perhaps the trickiest part of cooking okonomiyaki is the flipping. Nakagawa uses two metal spatulas he purchased in Osaka to flip his okonomiyaki in a quick, seamless motion that can inspire awe in beginners. But any sturdy spatulas will do. Even Nakagawa occasionally manages to break the okonomiyaki during the maneuver. Not to worry. The circle can usually be reformed by pushing the errant piece or pieces back in place.

Another popular style of okonomiyaki comes from Hiroshima. More of an assemblage, this style consists of a very thin pancake, akin to a crepe, which is sprinkled with bonito flakes and then mounded with cabbage and other ingredients and topped with thin pieces of pork or perhaps shrimp. After this construction is flipped and allowed to cook a few more minutes, it is placed atop cooked yakisoba noodles (similar to Chinese chow mein noodles). In the final step, the noodle side is placed atop an ultra-thin fried egg. No wonder the chefs at most okonomiyaki-ya in Hiroshima do the cooking themselves.

What should one drink with okonomiyaki? Nakagawa recommends chilled Oolong tea or, even better, an ice-cold Japanese beer. His favorite is Yebisu, a lager that is ceramic cold-filtered instead of pasteurized. He discovered Yebisu in Tokyo at a macrobiotic restaurant and has since found it at several Los Angeles markets.

“It tends to be on the light side,” says Nakagawa, “and it’s a little bit sweet.”

In other words, just as he likes it.

Alan Nakagawa’s Basic Kansai (Osaka) Style Okonomiyaki

After Nakagawa makes the batter, he usually divides it into four equal parts and adds different items to each. Thus, instead of serving four plain okonomiyaki, he might serve one with mixed seafood, one with chicken, one with eggplant and one with yakisoba noodles. (See variations below.) This way everyone can try a variety in a single meal. Of course, this recipe is delicious without additions. Nakagawa recommends Otafuku brand okonomiyaki sauce and Cupie brand mayonnaise. These products and others called for in the recipes can be found at Japanese markets.

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 50 minutes

1/2 large head cabbage, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups flour (preferably Japanese flour, which is very fine)

2 tablespoons dashi (bonito stock)

2 cups water

4 eggs

4 tablespoons tenkasu (deep-fried tempura batter crumbs)

4 teaspoons pickled ginger (the dark pink kind that is thinly sliced)

1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

Oil for frying

1/2 cup okonomiyaki sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 teaspoons aonori (dried green seaweed flakes)

4 teaspoons katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Hot Japanese mustard

* Thoroughly mix cabbage, flour, dashi, water, eggs, tenkasu, ginger and onions in large bowl.

* Heat lightly greased griddle or skillet over low to medium heat. Ladle approximately 1 cup batter onto hot griddle. If necessary, use back of spoon to spread batter slightly into circle about 8 inches across. Cook until bottom of okonomiyaki starts to color and edges begin to cook, about 10 minutes. Loosen okonomiyaki from cooking surface. Slide spatula under opposite sides of okonomiyaki, so spatulas face each other. Using both spatulas, quickly flip okonomiyaki. Cook until bottom has turned light golden and center is firm, about 6 to 8 minutes.

* Spoon or squeeze 2 tablespoons okonomiyaki sauce over surface of each okonomiyaki. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. (Nakagawa likes to make spirals with okonomiyaki sauce, then mayonnaise.) Sprinkle each okonomiyaki with 1 teaspoon aonori, then 1 teaspoon katsuobushi.

* Using spatula, cut each okonomiyaki into 4 slices. You may need to use both spatulas to pull pieces apart. Add mustard to taste and serve immediately. Repeat until all batter is used.

4 okonomiyaki. Each of 8 servingsi : 504 calories; 1,153 mg sodium; 112 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 0.09 gram fiber.

Variations: Consider adding various meats or additional vegetables to the next batch. Remember, okonomiyaki, by definition, means “as you like it.” A basic rule is that you can add 1/3 cup of anything you like to each okonomiyaki. Make sure additions are cut into bite-size pieces. Some of the most popular additions include squid, shrimp and scallops, chicken tenderloins, sausage, yakisoba noodles, eggplant and pork tenderloin. All of these, except the seafood, should be cooked before being added to the batter.

To evenly distribute additions throughout the batter, place pieces of it on the skillet throughout an imaginary 8-inch circle (the size of the okonomiyaki) and then pour the batter over the bits. Or, you can mix the additions into the batter, then pour it onto the grill.

Naoyoshi Sasaki’s Basic Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki

Sasaki is president of Otafuku USA.

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

2 cups water

2 cups Japanese flour or all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dashi (bonito stock) or broth

Oil

4 teaspoons katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

4 cups chopped cabbage

1/4 cup tenkasu (deep-fried tempura batter crumbs)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup bean sprouts

12 thin slices pork (often labeled sukiyaki style in Japanese markets)

4 cups cooked yakisoba (stir-fry) noodles

Okonomiyaki Sauce

4 eggs

4 teaspoons aonori (dried green seaweed flakes)

* Thoroughly mix water, flour and dashi in large bowl to make smooth batter.

* Heat lightly oiled griddle or skillet over low to medium heat. Pour 1/3 cup batter onto hot griddle. Using ladle or spoon, spread batter in circle to create thin pancake about 7 inches across. Cook until lightly set, 1 to 2 minutes.

* Sprinkle 1 teaspoon katsuobushi flakes over pancake. Next place 1 cup chopped cabbage, 1 tablespoon tenkasu, 1 tablespoon green onions and 1 tablespoon bean sprouts atop pancake. On top of this lay 3 slices pork, forming a sort of cover. Drizzle 2 tablespoons batter over top of pork. Cook, covered, until top is lightly set, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow pancake to burn.

* Using 2 spatulas, flip pancake and press top lightly to flatten slightly. Cook until pork is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Meanwhile, lightly saute noodles on side of skillet or griddle in 1 tablespoon okonomiyaki sauce.

* Form noodles into flat circle about size of pancake. Lift okonomiyaki and place atop noodles. Do not flip. Again, press down lightly with spatula.

* On side of skillet or griddle, fry 1 egg, spreading yolk to create egg pancake about 7 inches across. Lift okonomiyaki and noodles and place atop egg. Cook 1 to 2 minutes more.

* Flip entire pancake. Squeeze okonomiyaki sauce generously over top, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon aonori.

* Using spatulas, cut okonomiyaki into 4 pieces. You may need to use both spatulas to pull pieces apart. Serve immediately. Repeat until all batter is used.

4 okonomiyaki. Each of servings: 497 calories; 1,355 mg sodium; 116 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 84 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 0.61 gram fiber.

Okonomiyaki Sauce

If you are unable to find a bottled version, the following is a reasonable substitute. It comes from “Practical Japanese Cooking” by Shizuo Tsuji and Koichiro Hata (out of print).

Active Work Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus 30 minutes cooling

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

7 tablespoons dashi (bonito stock)

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

* Bring tomato puree, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sugar and dashi to boil in saucepan over high heat. Add cornstarch mixture, a little at a time, and cook until thickened to the texture of ketchup. Cool before serving.

About 1 1/2 cups. Each tablespoon: 7 calories; 196 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.01 gram fiber.