Hello lovelies,
today I am taking you to Japan, or more precisely into my frying pan: okonomiyaki are Japanese pancakes made mostly of finely sliced white cabbage. Crispy outside, juicy inside, with a sweet and savory sauce on top, thin lines of mayonnaise, seaweed flakes and pink pickled ginger. If you have always found cabbage a bit boring, this recipe will change your mind.
Savory pancakes are a popular dinner in our house, because you can hide so many vegetables in them. My chickpea herb pancakes filled with mushrooms are the European cousin of this Japanese version.
What goes into okonomiyaki?
The name roughly means "grilled as you like it", and that is exactly how it is cooked. The base is always plenty of cabbage bound with a simple batter of flour, water and eggs. I add carrot, spring onions, ginger and garlic and season the batter with soy sauce and a hint of sesame oil. In the pan the cabbage turns tender and slightly sweet while the underside fries until nice and crisp.
Flipping is the only moment where things get exciting. My trick: I slide the pancake onto a large plate, place the pan upside down on top and turn both over together. That way it stays whole, even when it is big and thick.
Japanese cooking has fascinated me for a long time, especially everything to do with umami. If you cannot get enough of it, try my vegan umami ramen with mushrooms, which sits at the very top of our wish list on cold evenings.
You can find okonomiyaki sauce and aonori in Asian grocery stores. If you do not have the sauce at hand, my quick pantry version is in the questions below. By the way, our kids love eating their pieces with chopsticks, even if it sometimes takes a while.
And if this evening leaves you wanting more Asian weeknight cooking, my vegetarian tempeh bulgogi with mushrooms is up next on the menu, savory, slightly sweet and perfect with rice.
Give these okonomiyaki a try and tell me in the comments what goes into your batter.
