Discover how to make Okonomiyaki savory waffles. Make this popular Japanese street food Okonomiyaki in a waffle iron with my step by step photo instructions.
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Making savory waffles with Okonomiyaki ingredients is a clever way to enjoy Japanese favourite street food! You know how delicious Okonomiyaki is. Right? Have you been a little hesitant to make this because of the oriental ingredients or pieces of equipment you need? Well, you can make it with what you have got already. I got the idea from my friend who is the owner-chef of cafe Three Girls Skipping in Brisbane.
What are Okonomiyaki Savory Waffles?
Okonomiyaki is simply a Japanese savory pancake. A load of shredded cabbage, mixed into a batter made from wheat flour, tenkasu, egg and umami-packed dashi. Then it is topped with whatever you like such as thinly sliced pork, beef, and kinds of seafood. That is what “Okonomi” means – “as you like”. It is usually fried on a big “teppan” iron plate at Okonomiyaki speciality restaurants. Ordinally households don’t have these, but my friend had a brilliant idea to use a waffle pan to make them! So come on, let’s make Okonomiyaki with a waffle maker!
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Savory Waffles?
You need to gather cabbage, scallions, all-purpose flour, eggs, dashi powder, pickled ginger, and your choice of toppings such as ham, bacon, thinly sliced pork, beef or kinds of seafood. Also, optionally Tenkasu will add depth of umami flavour. Then you need Okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and garnishes such as bonito flakes and Aonori seaweed flakes.
- Cabbage – shredded green cabbage
- Scallions – you only need a tiny bit.
- All-purpose flour – or it is called Plain flour in Australia.
- Eggs – I used large eggs weighing about 50g/1.8oz
- Dashi powder – you can make it from scratch. Check out my post about making dashi. You can get dashi powder from Japanese or Asian grocery stores or online shops.
- Pickled Ginger
– It is different from sushi ginger. You can get this from Japanese or Asian grocery stores or online shop. - Your favourite toppings – ham, bacon, thinly sliced pork, beef,
- Tenkasu – Tenkasu is a byproduct of Tempura. You can buy it from Japanese grocery stores on from online shops.
– It is different from 
– Tenkasu is a byproduct of 
- Okonomiyaki Sauce – my favourite brand is “Otaf*cku”. You can buy it from Japanese or Asian grocery stores or online shops also. I saw that it is sold at Woolworths now in Australia.
- Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise – Japanese mayonnaise is made from egg yolk not from the whole egg. My favourite brand is Kewpie. You can get this from Japanese or Asian grocery stores or online shops.
- Garnishes – Okonomiyaki is usually garnished with Shaved Bonito Flakes and Aonori Flakes (Seaweed).
. 
What Equipment Do I Need?
Most importantly, you need a good Waffle Iron. I used a stovetop waffle iron pan but you can use electric one too. If it is a no-stick pan, it is easier to cook of course.
How to Make Savory Waffles?
It is as easy as making Okonomiyaki. If you are using bacon as I did, you need to cook it before you mix it with batter to make sure it is cooked through. If you are using thinly sliced meat, you can top it over the batter on the waffle iron. To make the savory waffle batter, combine dashi stock with eggs and add to the flour in a mixing bowl. Add shredded cabbage, scallions, cooked bacon bits, and tenkasu (if you are using this ingredient too) and take one heaped ladle to the waffle iron and press. Cook about 2 minutes on each side. Ta-dah – delicious okonomiyaki savory waffle!
FAQ
Q: Could I make them ahead of time and store? How long does it store for?
A: Yes you can make them ahead and store. Make them and individually wrap with cling wrap and place them in a ziplock bag. It will keep in the freezer for a month. Defrost in the fridge the night before and either heat in the microwave or fry it over low to medium heat. Pour Okonomiyaki sauce over them and garnish with bonito flakes and Aonori seaweed.
Q: I don’t have a waffle iron. Can I still make Okonomiyaki?
A: Yes you can. Okonomiyaki waffle or savoury waffle is an alternative way to enjoy this popular Japanese savory pancake for beginners to make it easier.
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NOTE: Recipe measurements
Okonomiyaki Savory Waffles
Discover how to make Okonomiyaki savory waffles. Make this popular Japanese street food Okonomiyaki in a waffle iron with my step by step photo instructions.
Course: Appetiser, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes minutes
Total Time 19 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 waffles
Calories: 80kcal
Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles
Rate this recipe
5 from 9 votes
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Equipment
waffle iron
mixing bowl
Ingredients
Savory Waffle Batter
- 100 ml water 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
- 1/2 tsp dashi powder *1
- 2 eggs
- 80 g all purpose flour 1/2 cup level
- a pinch salt
- a pinch sugar
- 160 g finely chopped Cabbage 2 cups
- 2 tbsp finely chopped scallions
- 2 tbsp chopped red pickled ginger
- 10 g Tenkasu (optional) *2 3 tbsp
Toppings
- 2 bacon (short cut) *3
Sauce & Garnish
- 6 tbsp Okonomiyaki sauce *4
- 6 tbsp bonito flakes
- 2 tbsp aonori seaweed flakes
Metric – US Customary
Instructions
Combine the water and dashi powder in a jug and add beaten eggs.
Place the all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl and add dashi & egg mixture to combine.
Add chopped cabbage, scallions, cooked bacon bits, and red pickled ginger, and tenkasu to the batter and mix them all together.
Take one heaped ladle of Okonomiyaki batter to one side of an oil sprayed waffle iron. Fill the other side of waffle iron too.
Press the waffle iron together and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes one side and then flip it over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. If you are using an electric waffle iron you will need to experiment with the cooking time.
Serve Okonomiyaki savory waffles on a plate. Drizzle Okonomiyaki sauce over the waffles garnished with bonito flakes and aonori seaweed flakes.
Video
Notes
*1 If you cannot buy dashi powder, you can make it from scratch. See Dashi Recipe.
*2 If you can not buy commercially made Tenkasu, you can omit this ingredient or make it from scratch. See Tempura recipe.
*3 Okonomi means “as you like”, so I used bacon but you can substitute this with anything you like. You could use ham, thinly sliced pork or beef etc. If you use those ingredients, you don’t need to mix them into the batter but instead, top the batter with them before you press the waffle iron.
*4 Homemade Okonomiyaki sauce. See Okonomiyaki recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 37mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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