Okonomiyaki
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 4-6
Ingredients
3 × (5cm) pieces of dried kombu
750ml water
225g plain (all-purpose) flour
55g besan (chickpea flour)
2 tsp black salt
1 tsp salt
2½ tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp shichimi togarashi
450g thinly sliced very green cabbage, tossed with
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp rice flour
1 small daikon, coarsely grated
4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
2 tbsp roughly chopped
Pickled ginger (optional)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Mayonnaise, to serve
3 tbsp dried seaweed flakes or strips, or thinly sliced nori to serve
For the tonkatsu sauce
80ml (⅓ cup) Worcestershire sauce
80ml (⅓ cup) tomato sauce (ketchup)
1½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce or
1½ tbsp oyster sauce
¼ tsp arrowroot powder
Optional extras
about 200 g (7 oz) prawns (shrimp) or squid, thinly sliced
12 thin slices king oyster mushroom
12 slices bacon
12 slices cheddar
Method
Place the kombu pieces and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer to make simple dashi. Reduce the heat to low and leave on the heat for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
To make the tonkatsu sauce, combine the Worcestershire, tomato sauce, sugar and fish sauce in a small bowl. Place the arrowroot in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon of the sauce mix and whisk until smooth and well combined. Add the remaining sauce mixture and simmer, whisking, over low heat for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Take off the heat and set it aside to cool completely.
Mix together the plain and chickpea flour, salts, nutritional yeast (if using), baking powder and shichimi togarashi in a medium bowl. Pour in 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) of the cooled dashi at a time until you have a somewhat thick batter just able to be whisked easily. Coat the cabbage in the rice flour and add it to the batter, then add the daikon,
half the spring onion and 1 tablespoon of the pickled ginger (if using) and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. If you’re including seafood, add it to the batter at this point and mix well.
Pour a little oil into a heavy-based saucepan to coat the bottom and warm over medium heat. Depending on how many pancakes you want to make, scoop between 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) and 375 ml (12½ fl oz/1½ cups) of your vegetable batter into the pan to form a very thick pancake. Cook on both sides to a deep crispy brown, about
3–4 minutes, then remove and cool on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter.
If you are using the optional ingredients (mushroom, bacon and/or cheddar), don’t cook both sides of the pancake. Instead, cook one side only, place your choice of ingredients (cheese first, then bacon and/or mushroom) on the uncooked side, then carefully flip the pancake and cook over a slightly lower heat until browned. Drain on a paper towel.
Serve the pancakes warm, topped with mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce, dried seaweed and the remaining spring onion and pickled ginger.
