Capellini Okonomiyaki: An exercise in improv

Okonomiyaki is one of those foods that provokes controversy among the Japanese: every prefecture does it a bit differently, and everyone says that their way is best. Traditional okonomiyaki from Osaka consists of pork and a small amount of cabbage sandwiched between what resembles two pancakes. It's topped with a kind of thick Worcestershire sauce known as okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes, and lots of mayo. 

The version we demonstrate here is from Hiroshima prefecture, which, incidentally, is also famous for denim. Less powder is used for the outer layers, resulting in a base that more closely resembles a crepe than a fluffy pancake;  also, soba is added to the pork and cabbage filling. If soba noodle is not available to you, don't fret: a friend of my boyfriend's who's a chef at my favorite Manhattan pasta joint (hint:it's near Union Square) says that angel hair works just as well. Some may argue that such a sub would tarnish the dish's authenticity, but sometimes when in Rome...yea.
For us, finding soba wasn't an issue; we just wanted to use up the remaining angel hair pasta we had in our cupboard from last week's lunch. What proved problematic was finding pork that was sliced nice and thin; two butchers and three supermarkets later, we settled on good old American Boar's Head bacon. Other ingredients:
1/4 cup okonomiyaki or takoyaki powder (Typically, specifically labeled okonomiyaki powder is used, but we used takoyaki powder because it's what we had on hand. It's basically the same thing.)

Takoyaki powder (interchangeable with okonomiyaki powder)

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cabbage
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
Okonomiyaki sauce (Takoyaki sauce can also be used interchangeably. Again, pretty much the same thing.)
Bonito flakes
Preparation:

1. In a large pot, boil 1/8 package angel hair until al dente (not more than 7 minutes.) Drain and let sit.

Step 1

2.Mix one part starch powder with two parts water and two eggs, beating until there aew no more bubbles. 

3.Let the mixture stand while chopping cabbage and sauteing in an olive oil coated pan.

Step 3

4.In a separate pan, fry up the bacon, but not too much;  a tender, juicy texture is preferable.
5. Empty the bacon into a bowl and pour the half the powder mixture into the pan. Bake until brown on the bottom; flip and repeat.

Step 5

6. Tranfer "crepe" from pan to a large plate. Added sauteed cabbage, bacon, and angel hair.
7. Pour the rest of the mixture in the pan and bake; this is the final layer. If you're truly skilled, you will be able to flip it from the pan to perfectly sandwich the soba/cabbage/pork filling. If not, no worries; mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, and bonito are the perfect cover up! If you're lucky, they may even earn you a pass on your faux soba filling.