Noodle Okonomiyaki (Cabbage and Egg Pancakes)
Published May 15, 2025
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2(3-ounce) instant-ramen noodle packages (seasoning packets discarded)
- Boiled water
- 8large eggs
- 4teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- 4teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 4scallions, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper (preferably white pepper)
- ½medium green, red or savoy cabbage (1¼ to 1½ pounds), halved, core removed and thinly sliced crosswise
- Vegetable or sunflower oil
- Sriracha, for serving
- Mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie brand), for serving
- White sesame seeds, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Place the instant noodles into a large, heatproof bowl, top with about 6 cups just-boiled water, and soak for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, place the eggs into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and ¾ of the scallions (keep some for garnish); season with about 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Step 3
Drain the noodles and loosen them up with tongs or your hands. Add the cabbage and the noodles to the eggs and toss well to make sure everything is coated.
- Step 4
Heat a small 6-inch or 8-inch nonstick skillet on medium-high. When hot, drizzle with vegetable oil and add ¼ of the cabbage and noodle mixture. Use a spatula (a flexible fish spatula works well here) to tuck in the sides around the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cover (if you don’t have a lid, use a large skillet or sheet pan) and leave to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bottom is golden. Uncover and top the skillet with a plate that is slightly bigger than the skillet, then confidently flip the pancake so that the cooked side is facing up. Slide the pancake back into the skillet to cook the other side. Leave to cook on medium, uncovered, for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 5
Transfer the pancake to a plate and continue cooking the other three pancakes, wiping the pan clean and adding another drizzle of vegetable oil between batches.
- Step 6
To serve, drizzle each pancake with Sriracha and mayonnaise, and scatter over the sesame seeds and remaining scallions. (Pancakes can be cooked ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours in an airtight container. Reheat in the skillet or microwave.)
Private Notes
Comments
Why does everyone who publishes an okonomiyaki recipe want us to flip the gummy barely cooked top side onto a plate? Simply slide the browned, first-cooked side out of the pan onto the inverted lid (let it dry for 20 seconds first), then invert the pan onto the lid & pancake, then flip the whole thing back over!
This was tasty, filling, inexpensive, and quick. We added shredded carrot and onion, and sautéed all of the veggies to soften and brown them before adding them to the noodles. We cooked a half recipe as 1 pancake in a 10" fry pan.
For those who are a bit timid about flipping from a heavy pan (I am one), there is a workaround. Simply slide the pancake from the pan onto a plate, then place another plate on top of the pancake, and flip it. Then slide the pancake back into the pan.
Didn't have Ramon noodles so used fettuccini type noodles, which were a little too tough in the final pancake. Used onion instead of scallions. Used togarashi, instead of Sriracha and Dukes mayo. It was an interesting way to use up left over cabbage. It was quick to make especially since I had shredded cabbage already. Flavor was good, mayo was a good touch balanced out the cabbage flavor.
This is a go-to comfort food I crave often. Using the same ingredients, I halve the recipe; saute the cabbage first (don’t try to mix eggs and noodles into the cabbage in the pan, essential to add cooled noodles and cabbage to egg mixture); and use fresh frozen ramen. I use a stainless steel skillet and haven’t had a problem flipping the whole pancake (1/2 of the recipe as written) using the lid method previously mentioned. Sometimes I do run under the broiler instead if I didn’t use enough oil. Half of the recipe is good for 2-3 meals for me, and it keeps well for several days in the fridge, warming up in the toaster over. With ingredients ready, mis en place, the 1 who;le pancake method takes less than 30 minutes to make. Love Love Love!
Kiddo won’t eat crunchy vegetables, so I cooked down the entire 1.5 pound head of cabbage to about 1/3 or half the original volume. Put the entire thing into the batter. It was delicious. I should have read the comment about using two plates to flip the pancake…it took two bad pancakes before I got the hang of flipping with one plate!