Judgment: Sotenbori Okonomiyaki

A gameplay feature in Judgment is Yagami making friends with several of the locals in Kamurocho. Each of these friendships are a great benefit to Yagami during the story. My personal favorite is Ryan Acosta, a foreigner training in the ways of the ninja. This friendship begins when Yagami finds Ryan scaling the wall of a building. From there you help Ryan train by playing darts and eventually fighting him one on one. Once this friendship reaches maximum, Ryan will help Yagami in random street brawls. Everytime he would join in, Jeff and I would yell “Nin-Nin,” one of the lines he says pretty often. I can’t wait to replay Judgment and make all these friends again.

Rie Tomioka, Yagami’s landlord and another friendship option, is trying to open up a izakaya and decides to test a few of her recipes on Yagami. I’ve actually already made the second dish she tested on you, wasabi karaage. Today, we are going to take a stab at the final dish that maximizes her friendship, Sotenbori-style okonomiyaki. I am a huge fan of okonomiyaki. There are two major styles of okonomiyaki, Osaka and Hiroshima. The main difference between these two styles is the way they are prepared and a few minor ingredient differences. Personally, I’m more of a fan of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki because of that addition of yakisoba. 

The okonomiyaki Rei Tomioka shares with Yagami is based on the Osaka style. Yagami is really surprised about how delicious this final dish of her’s is. He also notes the mustard flavor that she added to these which I’ve made sure to include in the sauce. Osaka-style okonomiyaki is a lot easier to make because you mix all the ingredients in the batter rather than layering each element. This is a good starting style when making okonomiyaki. One of the common ingredients in okonomiyaki is tenkasu. This can be easily purchased at your local Japanese market or online. I have created a homemade option if you feel like making your own, but either way will be delicious! Enough talking, time to start making okonomiyaki.

Tenkasu
⅓ cup + 2 tbsp (67 g) cake flour
⅓ cup (70 g) carbonated water
1 tsp (8 g) rice vinegar
½ tsp (4 g) fish sauce
peanut oil

Fill a deep pot with 1 inch of peanut oil and heat over medium heat to 350°F.  Combine the cake flour, carbonated water, rice vinegar, and fish sauce in a small bowl. Mix until it just comes together, it should be runny and ribbony when it pours from the spoon.

Once the oil has heated up, take a spoonful of the batter and stream it into the hot oil until the pot is filled with little bits, but do not overcrowd. Cook in the oil until it turns a light golden brown. Remove the pieces with a fine mesh strainer and transfer to a plate with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Mustard Okonomiyaki Sauce
150 g okonomiyaki sauce
20 g mustard

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce until smooth. Place in an airtight container and put in the refrigerator until you need it.

Okonomiyaki
½ cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 g) salt
¼ tsp (1 g) baking powder
½ tsp (2 g) sugar
⅓ cup (80 g) dashi stock
1 egg
2 scallions, minced
16 g kizami beni shoga, chopped
30 g tenkasu
400 g napa cabbage, chopped
½ lb thinly sliced pork belly or bacon, cut in half

Toppings
mustard okonomiyaki sauce
Japanese mayo
aonori

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the dashi stock until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temperature for one hour.

Add the egg and mix until it just comes together. Mix in the scallions, kizami beni shoga, and tenkasu.

Add the cabbage and fold in until well combined.

Heat a griddle over medium heat. Once heated, coat the pan with nonstick spray. Scoop a portion of the batter and shape into a 6-inch wide disc. Top with four pieces of pork belly.

Cover the pan and cook for four minutes, or until the bottom is browned. Using two spatulas, carefully but quickly flip the entire pancake over so the pork belly is on the bottom. If any pieces spread out of the disc, push it back into the disc.

Cover the pan again and cook for five minutes, or until the pork belly is cooked. Flip one more time, brush on the mustard okonomiyaki sauce, and cook for another two minutes, to crisp up the bottom a bit more. Transfer to a plate and top with additional mustard okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and aonori. Repeat with the remaining batter. This should make about three to four.

Print Recipe

Sotenbori Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

Tenkasu

• ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp (67 g) cake flour
• ⅓ cup (70 g) carbonated water
• 1 tsp (8 g) rice vinegar
• ½ tsp (4 g) fish sauce
• peanut oil

Mustard Okonomiyaki Sauce

• 150 g okonomiyaki sauce
• 20 g mustard

Okonomiyaki

• ½ cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp (2 g) salt
• ¼ tsp (1 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2 g) sugar
• ⅓ cup (80 g) dashi stock
• 1 egg
• 2 scallions minced
• 16 g kizami beni shoga chopped
• 30 g tenkasu
• 400 g napa cabbage chopped
• ½ lb thinly sliced pork belly or bacon cut in half

Toppings

• mustard okonomiyaki sauce
• Japanese mayo
• aonori

Instructions

Tenkasu

• Fill a deep pot with 1 inch of peanut oil and heat over medium heat to 350°F. Combine the cake flour, carbonated water, rice vinegar, and fish sauce in a small bowl. Mix until it just comes together, it should be runny and ribbony when it pours from the spoon.
• Once the oil has heated up, take a spoonful of the batter and stream it into the hot oil until the pot is filled with little bits, but do not overcrowd. Cook in the oil until it turns a light golden brown. Remove the pieces with a fine mesh strainer and transfer to a plate with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Mustard Okonomiyaki Sauce

• Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce until smooth. Place in an airtight container and put in the refrigerator until you need it.

Okonomiyaki

• Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the dashi stock until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temperature for one hour.
• Add the egg and mix until it just comes together. Mix in the scallions, kizami beni shoga, and tenkasu.
• Add the cabbage and fold in until well combined.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat. Once heated, coat the pan with nonstick spray. Scoop a portion of the batter and shape into a 6-inch wide disc. Top with four pieces of pork belly.
• Cover the pan and cook for four minutes, or until the bottom is browned. Using two spatulas, carefully but quickly flip the entire pancake over so the pork belly is on the bottom. If any pieces spread out of the disc, push it back into the disc.
• Cover the pan again and cook for five minutes, or until the pork belly is cooked. Flip one more time, brush on the mustard okonomiyaki sauce, and cook for another two minutes, to crisp up the bottom a bit more. Transfer to a plate and top with additional mustard okonomiyaki sauce, japanese mayo, and aonori. Repeat with the remaining batter. This should make about three to four.