What do we say the base ingredient in Japanese?


When we make okonomiyaki, for example, the base ingredient is the mix of
cabbage, dough and eggs. There are many okonomiyaki topping but the base
ingredient is the same.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YhiuL.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YhiuL.jpg)

My question is

> What do Japanese call the base ingredients?




The "dough" part of okonomiyaki is called （お好み焼きの） **生地【きじ】**. 生地 basically
refers to the paste made by mixing flour and water. 生地 is also used for bread,
doughnuts, pizza, udon, spaghetti, etc.

[According to
Wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8A%E5%A5%BD%E3%81%BF%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D):

> 水に溶いた小麦粉を **生地** として、野菜、肉、魚介類などを具材とし、鉄板の上で焼き上げ、ソース・マヨネーズ・青のり等の調味料をつけて食するもの

Strictly speaking, 生地 only refers to the flour and water part. At least in
Tokyo, cabbage, ginger and eggs are _mixed_ with the flour (rather than being
topped) as the "base ingredient", but I think it's still safely called 生地 as a
whole ([see this
recipe](http://www.nisshin.com/entertainment/komugiko_club/meikan/05/03.html)).

In everyday conversations, **土台【どだい】** or **ベース** can also refer to the same
"base" part of okonomiyaki. These words just mean "base".

If you're looking for a broader term which can be used for any dishes that can
be topped (ice cream, ramen, hot dogs, curry and rice...), the ベース (noun) or
プレーン (na-adjective) would refer to the "plain" one.
[プレーンなお好み焼き](http://portal.nifty.com/kiji/130604160812_1.htm) would mean
okonomiyaki without any fillings.




The "dough" part of okonomiyaki is called （お好み焼きの） **生地【きじ】**. 生地 basically
refers to the paste made by mixing flour and water. 生地 is also used for bread,
doughnuts, pizza, udon, spaghetti, etc.

[According to
Wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%8A%E5%A5%BD%E3%81%BF%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D):

> 水に溶いた小麦粉を **生地** として、野菜、肉、魚介類などを具材とし、鉄板の上で焼き上げ、ソース・マヨネーズ・青のり等の調味料をつけて食するもの

Strictly speaking, 生地 only refers to the flour and water part. At least in
Tokyo, cabbage, ginger and eggs are _mixed_ with the flour (rather than being
topped) as the "base ingredient", but I think it's still safely called 生地 as a
whole ([see this
recipe](http://www.nisshin.com/entertainment/komugiko_club/meikan/05/03.html)).

In everyday conversations, **土台【どだい】** or **ベース** can also refer to the same
"base" part of okonomiyaki. These words just mean "base".

If you're looking for a broader term which can be used for any dishes that can
be topped (ice cream, ramen, hot dogs, curry and rice...), the ベース (noun) or
プレーン (na-adjective) would refer to the "plain" one.
[プレーンなお好み焼き](http://portal.nifty.com/kiji/130604160812_1.htm) would mean
okonomiyaki without any fillings.

