By Teppei Morimoto
One of popular Japanese dishes is okonomiyaki, which is a pancake with meat and vegitable. There are two styles: Kansai-style and Hiroshima-style. Japanese want to discuss their favorite foods, so I am going to show the differences of this popular dish from three perspectives.
The biggest difference of them is the existence of noodles. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki contain noodles. Noodles are first boiled and placed on stir-fried cabbage.
The texture of Kansai-style one is harder than that of Hiroshima style. The cabbage is cut into 3 cm wide pieces in Kanasi, while it is smaller in Hiroshima. The pancake batter of Kansai-style is thicker. In Hiroshima, however, the batter contains a lot of water and thinner. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki does not use a lot of flour and the batter is baked thinly like a crepe.
The way it is prepared is different, too. In Kansai, all the ingredients are mixed in the batter and spread on a hot pan to be cooked. In Hiroshima, however, the ingredients are cooked separately and placed on each other to create layers.
They tastes similar, but Hiroshima style’s sauce is a little sweeter. As the name, okonomi, meaning “as you like it” of the dish describes, people enjoy as they like it. They may add mayonnaise and other toppings to make it spicier or sweeter.
Lastly, the price is different. The Kansai-style one costs about 500-600 yen, but the Hiroshima-style one cost about 800-1200 yen. Nonetheless, both are very good. If you have a chance, please try both.
