If you’ve never had Okonomiyaki before, you are seriously missing out! It’s a Japanese savoury pancake filled with cabbage and whatever meats and veggies you want. It’s crispy, crunchy and smothered in Kewpie Mayo and a sweet, fruity sauce specifically made for this dish.
The full ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the page, but for this Okonomiyaki, you will need:
To begin, add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and give it a quick whisk so everything is evenly distributed. Then do the same with wet ingredients by whisking your egg and water together.
Pour your egg mixture into your dry ingredients and stir to combine. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth. You’re better off having a few lumps of flour than overmixing your batter.
Finely shave the cabbage and chop up your spring onion into rings.
Add all of your vegetables to you pancake mix and stir until everything is thoroughly coated in batter. You want the batter to be majority filling that is just held together with batter.
Heat around 1 tbsp of a neutral oil in a medium frypan over a medium heat. Drop in around 1/3 cup of batter, depending on the size you want. You can make mini ones, or opt for one large one and cut it up. Your batter should only be a couple of centimetres thick, so spread it out if you need to.
Cook on one side for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crispy on the underside. Carefully flip it over, adding more oil if you need to, and cook for another 3-5 minutes on the other side.
It should be thoroughly cooked in the middle after this time, but if you’d like to check, insert a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean, it’s done. If your skewer comes out with wet batter still on it, finish it off in the oven at 180˚C for 5-10 minutes.
Transfer it to a plate and smother it with Okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayo, Furikake and more spring onions.
You can, but it really isn’t the same as when it’s hot and fresh from the pan. The longer is sits, the more the crispy edges will become soggy. It will still taste nice but it just won’t be as good. If you are planning on saving some for later, store it in an airtight containing in the fridge without the toppings. You can warm it back up in a pan, microwave or oven when you’re ready.
Learn from my mistake and make it as close to cooking as possible. If you make it too early, the water will be drawn out of the cabbage, making the batter too wet.
If you must, you can prepare the batter and vegetables, store them separately, then combine them just before frying. I wouldn’t do this any more than a day in advance however as the flour can oxidise and turn a greyish colour.
Mon Mack Food is my little space to share my passion for food. It is also a place to document the recipes I’ve created while cooking for friends and family! While it is now just a hobby, my absolute dream is to build this project into something I can one day call my job 🙂
