Jumbo okonomiyaki
Making individual okonomiyaki pancakes takes forever when you just have one frypan, so I just cut to the chase and make one big one. This is also a fun dish to make in the middle of the table with a cassette stove.
What is okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki is a savoury cabbage pancake commonly sold as a casual meal or street food in Japan. It's a specialty of Osaka although due to its popularity it can be found all over the country. It's name translates roughly to 'what you want, grilled' and while it always has a base of shredded cabbage, the pancake filling can be customised to however you like.
Popular fillings include pork, seafood, or vegetables like corn.
Many variations exist like a Hiroshima style where the pancake resembles more like a crepe stuffed with lightly battered vegetables and often noodles. This recipe is Osaka/Kansai style, made more like a fritter.
In restaurants and on street stalls it'll be made the same size as a sweet pancake would, but I like to make life easier and make one jumbo pancake then cut it up to serve.
Tips before you begin
- This recipe is very forgiving. You can adjust it to have more or less cabbage depending on how you like it.
- Use a large frying pan so the pancake doesn't end up too thick. This also cuts back on cooking time.
- I added a recipe for homemade okonomi sauce. You can also purchase it pre-made from Japanese grocers and some supermarkets under the Bulldog brand.
- ¼ head green cabbage (thinly sliced (about 4 cups))
- 3-4 spring onions (sliced)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1 tsp stock powder (or powdered dashi if you have it)
- ½ cup tomato ketchup
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp dark soy
- ½ sheet of nori or furikake (to garnish)
- Bonito flakes (to garnish)
- Japanese mayo (to garnish)
- In a large bowl combine the cabbage, spring onion, eggs, flour, and stock or dashi powder. Mix well, adding a little water as needed. You should end up with a light coating of batter (the consistency of pancake mix) on all the cabbage.
- Place a large frypan over medium heat. Oil lightly and pour in all the cabbage mix. Spread to make an even layer in the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, flip, then cook another 5 until set and golden on the outside.
- To make the okonomi sauce, combine ketchup, Worcestershire, oyster sauce, sugar, and soy in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Meanwhile, shred the nori by using scissors to cut the sheet into strips, then matchsticks.
- Once the pancake is cooked through, place it on a large plate, spread a layer of okonomi sauce and cover in a zigzag of mayo. Sprinkle seaweed and bonito flakes on top to garnish.
- If you want to make the pattern in the photo, use the tip of a knife or a toothpick to draw lines in the opposite direction of the mayo zig zag before garnishing.
