Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a type of Japanese pan-fried batter cake with various ingredients. The batter is based on flour, grated yam, water or dashi, egg and shredded cabbage. Further ingredients vary, e.g. green onion, meat, squid, shrimp, vegetables, Kimchi, cheese, etc.
Okonomi means "what you like", and yaki means "grilled" or "cook" (c.f., yakitori and yakisoba) in Japanese, so this dish's name means "cook what you like." It is often described as the Japanese pizza.
The batter with optional ingredients are spread and fried both sides on a hot plate (teppan) or in a pan until done, then served with further toppings such as okonomiyaki-sauce, nori, fish flakes, Mayonnaise (optional), and Ginger.
In Japan okonomiyaki is usually associated with the Kansai region, where it is thought to have originated, and Hiroshima. Many okonomiyaki restaurants specialize in the genre.
Different regions prefer different toppings and batters for okonomiyaki. In Kyoto, okonomiyaki is usually made with darker greens. In Hiroshima, it is common to add yakisoba noodles to the mixture and instead of mixing the ingredients together, they are all cooked separately and combined together on a stack; this variation is called modanyaki(モダン焼き) and a large part of the presentation is in the difficult task of stacking the ingredients. Most Japanese people from Hiroshima would claim that this is the original (and correct) way to make okonomiyaki. A dish similar to okonomiyaki that originates in Tokyo is called monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き).
See also
Japanese cuisine
Ramen
