Disclaimer: I have never had okonomiyaki prepared by someone who really knows what okonomiyaki is, although I’ve made it a lot. My okonomiyaki, to a true Japanese, might be laughable, but it is oishii!
I usually use plain ol’ cabbage because that’s what I typically have on hand. I almost always have green onions too, so they go into the bowl. Scour the vegetable bin for anything that looks like it might work, too. Grate a carrot? Why not. A few sad litttle bean sprouts? Perfect! Got a bell pepper that needs to be used? I’ve added worse. A beet? I think I’d draw the line before the beet, though. There are no measurements because it’s basically what you have on hand and how much you want to make.
Make a thin batter (the last few years I’ve been cheating and just used Kikkoman’s tempura-ko (packaged tempura batter mix), but it’s easy to throw together a savory batter with flour, salt, and some baking powder for a bit of lift, and add the batter to the bowl of veggies. If I’ve actually planned well enough, I’ll have some tempura bits (the little bits of batter that break off in the oil and most people skim and toss). Peel a few shrimp and cut them into fingertip-sized chunks, maybe a bit of leftover chicken, or whatever. Literally whatever. I mean, it IS ‘okonomi’, right? Whatever you want, boss! I add eggs, typically an egg per serving, and mix, mix, mix.
Get out a frying pan that will fit it all. For a single serving, I use an 8" pan. Two servings fit well in a 10", and four servings go in the 12-incher. Bring the pan up to temperature (medium heat), add some oil, and dump it all in. Pat everything into an even layer and let it cook. Depending on how thick it is, it may take a little time. If your flipping skills are really good, now is the time to show them off to flip the entire thing over. If not, use a plate to flip.
While it’s cooking, make some okonomi sauce if you haven’t purchased it. I combine oyster sauce, ketchup, shoyu, and sugar - sometimes with a little sriracha for a kick - to taste. When you remove the okonomiyaki from the pan, slather it with your sauce and give it a heavy drizzle of mayo, preferably Kewpie if you can get it. Toss on some shreds of nori and katsuoboshi, and dig in.
