Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Total Time: 2 hours
Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake that is extravagant, and delicious. You can customize it as you please, both filling wise, and toppings wise. It’s a great way to use your leftover ingredients that you have on hand.
Ingredients
1 cup flour
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¾ cup dashi
2-3 inches of Chinese yam / Japanese yam
1 large cabbage head
½ lb of pork belly, sliced thin
4 eggs
Vegetable oil
Sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp ketchup
3 ½ tbs worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tbs sugar
Toppings
Sauce
Japanese mayonnaise
Dried bonito flakes
Dried seaweed
Green onions
Pickled red ginger
Instructions
Batter
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. In a separate small bowl, peel and grate the yam. Incorporate the yam and dashi in the bowl. Add the small bowl ingredients into the large bowl, mix well together, and cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Sauce
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Pancakes/Okonomiyaki
Mince the cabbage, and set aside until dry, or pat dry.
Cut the pork belly slices in half, and set aside.
Take out the batter from the fridge, and add 4 eggs, and the cabbage in a few takes, mixing well in between each.
In a large pan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Spread the batter in a circle on the pan. You’ll want the batter/okonomiyaki to be thicker, about ¾ inches.
Place 2 to 3 slices of pork belly on top, and cover and cook for 5 min, or until the bottom side is browned, and flip it over.
Lightly press the okonomiyaki. Cover and cook for another 5 min.
Flip the okonomiyaki over one more time, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes, and transfer to a plate.
Drizzle the sauce on top, add zig zag lines of the Japanese mayonnaise, sprinkle bonito blakes on top. You can also add dried seaweed, green onions, and pickled red ginger.
Enjoy!