Hirayachi Okinawan Style Savory Pancake

Hirayachi is an Okinawan style savory pancake made by mixing flour batter with chives or tuna and frying it thin. A humble dish easily made at home, it has long been loved as a snack on days when typhoons or rain keep people indoors. Its chewy texture and simple flavor are its charms.

Highlights

The fillings are simple, such as chives, tuna, and egg, but the batter seasoned with broth brings out a solid savoriness. Thinner than okonomiyaki, it has a light crepe like texture. Fillings and thickness differ by household and shop, so it shines with character despite its simplicity.

Enjoying the Seasons

It is a dish casually made at home during the rainy season and typhoon months. For visitors it appears on regional restaurant menus all year, so you can experience the taste of an Okinawan home anytime.

Access and Basic Information

You can taste it around the Makishi Public Market in Naha and at regional restaurants and pubs. Often served as an easy single dish, it suits a light meal or a snack. It is an affordable plate that can be ordered for a few hundred yen, and its modest size makes it easy to combine with other dishes. Since batter and fillings vary by shop, comparing them is a pleasure.

Practical Travel Notes

Hirayachi carries a background as a dish made at home on days when typhoons or rain kept people from going out, a humble Okinawan taste. On a day when the weather turns during your trip, savoring it while recalling that origin adds depth. It suits taking the edge off a small hunger or ordering as a first plate at an izakaya. Since portions are modest, enjoying it little by little alongside other Okinawan dishes such as goya champuru or mimiga works well. The aroma of chives and the broth rich batter are simple yet hard to tire of, an easy choice even on a trip with children.

A Quick Tip

The chewiness fresh off the griddle is the greatest treat. Add sauce or soy sauce to taste, or enjoy the batter plain with nothing on it. If the batter is well seasoned with broth, it offers plenty of savoriness on its own.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Main areas where it is handed down: According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Our Local Cuisine", it is found throughout Okinawa Prefecture. The name comes from the words for "frying it flat".
• When it has been eaten: The same source introduces it as a home-cooked dish made when typhoons or power cuts kept people indoors; today it is also served at restaurants around the prefecture.
• Basic ingredients: Wheat flour, egg, dashi stock and Chinese chives are the basics, and kamaboko fish cake, mozuku seaweed or tuna are sometimes added.
• A public facility that is easy to drop into: Naha City Daiichi Makishi Public Market (2-10-1 Matsuo, Naha City, 098-867-6560) / 8:00-22:00. Closed on the fourth Sunday of each month (except December), January 1-3 and during the Old Bon festival. There are 12 Okinawan restaurants on the second floor.
• Access: About a 10-minute walk from Makishi Station or Miebashi Station on the Yui Rail. The market has no car park.

* Opening hours and prices vary from shop to shop.

(Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Our Local Cuisine: Hirayachi", Naha City Daiichi Makishi Public Market official website, Naha City official website "Daiichi Makishi Public Market Basic Information")

Information Sources

This article is compiled from Okinawa Prefecture's tourism information together with information published by each shop. Prices, menus and seasonality can change, so please check each shop's official information for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable, from a few hundred yen
• Where to eat it: Diners and izakaya pubs across Okinawa Prefecture, and in home cooking
• Best time of day: As a snack or light meal, and good as a treat on a rainy day too
• Avoiding the crowds: A simple single dish that is easy to order casually
• Combine it with: Versions with chives or tuna, Okinawan home cooking, and awamori