Recipe: Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes)

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Okonomiyaki - fun word to say, isn't it? It's also a fun dish to make (and eat).



The savory Japanese pancake is made with cabbage, tenkasu (crunchy tempura bits), and bacon, fried up in a skillet, and then topped with green onions, nori flakes, sesame seeds, and okonomi sauce (think Japanese version of ketchup. Enjoy!

Okonomiyaki

1 big pancake (serves 2)

* 2 cups green cabbage, chopped into very thin strips (the thinner, the better for getting the pancake to keep its form well)

* 0.667 c. water

* 0.333 tsp. dashi stock powder

* 0.5 c. all-purpose flour

 * 1 egg
* 3 Tbsp. tenkasu (tempura bits)

* 0.333 c. chopped green onions

* 4 strips bacon, cut into ~2" pieces

* Okonomi sauce
* Sesame Seeds
* Flaked nori (I tore up a few regular nori sheets, but you can also buy aonori)

1. Whisk the dashi stock powder into the water in a large bowl until dissolved.

2. Add the flour, egg, and tenkasu. Whisk well, to form an even batter.

3. Add the cabbage and most of the chopped green onions (reserve a bit of the onions for topping).

4. Heat some oil in a large skillet pan. 

5. Once the oil is hot, spoon the cabbage batter into the pan and smooth into an even layer, about 0.5" thick throughout. Sprinkle the chopped bacon on top.

6. Cook the pancake for 4 minutes, then flip. Cook for an additional 5 minutes with the bacon side down, or until the bacon is crispy.

7. Flip the pancake again, so now the bacon side is up, and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

8. Transfer the pancake to a plate. Drizzle the okonomi sauce over it and then sprinkle the remaining green onions, as well as the nori flakes and sesame seeds, over the pancake.

Looks delicious, doesn't it? Food with toppings is so much more fun - acai bowls, frozen yogurt, and now okonomiyaki!

Have you tried okonomiyaki? How about other savory pancakes?