The Hirayachi (ひらやーち) is one of the traditional recipes from Okinawa, similar to a pancake, mainly made with wheat flour, water, eggs, and sometimes scallions.
Traditionally, it doesn’t have a filling, but minced pork or other ingredients can be added depending on local variations.
It’s usually garnished with katsuobushi flakes (bonito flakes) and with Worcestershire sauce, yakisoba, kewpie (Japanese mayonnaise), or okonomiyaki sauce.
Hirayachi is also considered the okonomiyaki of Okinawa, but it also resembles Korean chijimi.
The word hirayachi, in the Okinawan language, means “to fry.”
In the photo, what we tasted during our trip to Okinawa in March 2025.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 egg
- 3 scallions
- to taste katsuobushi
- to taste Worcestershire sauce (and/or yakisoba and/or okonomiyaki sauce and/or kewpie)
- to taste salt
- to taste sesame oil
Steps
Prepare the batter: in a bowl, combine the flour, water, and egg. Mix well until you get a smooth and lump-free batter. You can add a pinch of salt to taste.
Finely chop the scallions and add them to the batter.
Heat a non-stick pan with a bit of sesame oil or vegetable oil over medium heat.
Cook the Hirayachi: pour about a ladle of batter into the pan to form a pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden and crispy, then gently flip to cook the other side.
Once the pancake is well golden on both sides, remove it from the pan and serve hot, topping with katsuobushi and sauce.
