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2007-10-29T19:40:50Z

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[[Image:Okonomiyaki 2.jpg|thumb|A man prepares okonomiyaki in a restaurant in [[Hiroshima]], [[Japan]]]]
[[Image:Okonomiyaki - shrimp and cheese okonomiyaki.jpg|thumb|Cheese and shrimp okonomiyaki (above) fully seasoned with sauce, mayonnaise, [[katsuobushi]] and [[aonori]] in [[Osaka]], [[Japan]]]]
[[Image:Tyochin-Okonomiyaki.JPG|thumb|Lantern beckons customers into an okonomiyaki restaurant]]
{{nihongo|'''Okonomiyaki'''|お好み焼き|}} is a pan-fried [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese dish]] cooked with various ingredients. ''Okonomi'' means "what you like" or "what you want", and ''yaki'' means "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. ''[[yakitori]]'' and ''[[yakisoba]]''); thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like, the way you like". In [[Japan]], okonomiyaki is usually associated with the [[Kansai region|Kansai]] or [[Hiroshima, Japan|Hiroshima]] areas, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

==Kansai area==
Kansai ([[Osaka]])-style okonomiyaki is a pan-fried batter cake. This is the style of okonomiyaki found throughout most of Japan. The batter is made of flour, grated [[yam (vegetable)|yam]], water or [[dashi]], eggs and shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, [[meat]] (generally pork or bacon), [[octopus]], [[squid]], [[shrimp]], [[vegetable]]s, [[kimchi]], [[Mochi (food)|mochi]] or [[cheese]]. Okonomiyaki is often oddly compared to an [[omelette]], [[pizza]], or [[pancake]], and as such is sometimes referred to as "Japanese pizza" or as "Japanese pancake", though as unique as those foods are, so is okonomiyaki. Many okonomiyaki restaurants are set up as grill-it-yourself establishments, where the server produces a bowl of raw ingredients that the customer mixes and grills at tables fitted with special hot plates. They may also have a diner style counter where the cook will prepare the dish right in front of you.

In [[Osaka]] (the largest city in the [[Kansai region]]), where the dish is said to have originated, okonomiyaki is prepared much like a [[pancake]]. The batter and other ingredients are fried on both sides on either a hot plate (''[[teppan]]'') or a pan using metal [[spatula]]s that are later used to slice the dish when it has finished cooking. Cooked okonomiyaki is topped with ingredients that include okonomiyaki sauce (similar to [[Worcestershire sauce]] but thicker and sweeter), [[nori]], [[katsuobushi|fish flakes]], Japanese [[mayonnaise]] and [[ginger]]. When this style of okonomiyaki is served with sliced cabbage and a layer of fried noodles (either [[ramen]] or [[udon]] worked into the mix) it is called ''modanyaki'' (モダン焼き: "modern yaki"). {{nihongo|''Negiyaki''|ねぎ焼き|}} is a thinner offshoot of okonomiyaki made with a great deal of [[Welsh onion]].

==Hiroshima area==
In [[Hiroshima]], the ingredients are layered rather than mixed together. The layers are typically batter, cabbage, pork, optional items (squid, octopus, cheese, etc.), noodles ([[soba]], [[udon]]) topped with a fried egg and a generous dollop of okonomiyaki sauce. The amount of cabbage used is usually 3 - 4 times the amount of Osaka style. It starts out piled very high and is generally pushed down as the cabbage cooks. The order of the layers may vary slightly depending on the chef's style and preference, and ingredients will vary depending on the preference of the customer. People from Hiroshima tend to claim that this is the correct way to make okonomiyaki.

==Other areas==
In [[Tokyo]], a liquid, runny variant of okonomiyaki called [[monjayaki]] is popular.

In [[Hamamatsu]], [[takuan]] (a Japanese pickle) is mixed in okonomiyaki.

In [[Okinawa]], okonomiyaki is called [[hirayachi]] (ヒラヤーチー) and is thinner than in other areas. People cook it at home, so there are no hirayachi restaurants in [[Okinawa]].

In Central London, okonomiyaki can be found in the West End where there are two Japanese restaurants that specialise in Kansai style okonomiyaki which is also served right infront on you on a teppan.

==See also==
*[[Japanese cuisine]]
*[[Hirayachi]]
*[[Monjayaki]]
*[[Takoyaki]]

==External links==
{{commons}}
*[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fg20020728rl.htm Rick LaPointe, ''Okonomi-yaki, as you like it, and you will''. The Japan Times: July 28, 2002]
*[http://www.hiroshimaokonomiyaki.com/ Hiroshima style okonomiyaki (Photos)]
*[http://bitmason.com/photo/japan2005/0410_dsc_1952 Fukuoka-style Okonomiyaki (Photo)]
*[http://www.japaninyourpalm.com/Restaurants/michan.htm Michan Okonomiyaki Hiroshima - English menu]
*[http://www.otafukufoods.com/ Otafuku Foods] - a manufacturer of okonomiyaki sauce for Hiroshima-style. Recipes of Hiroshima- and Kansai-styles, and monjayaki.

[[Category:Japanese breads]]
[[Category:Pancakes]]
[[Category:Visitor attractions in Hiroshima Prefecture]]

Okonomiyaki - Revision history

MediaWiki default at 19:40, 29 October 2007