Okonomiyaki

[zhemao]

Today I tried making okonomiyaki, a kind of savory pancake originating from Japan's Kansai region. It's sometimes called the "Japanese pizza". The recipes you usually find online can be quite complicated. My recipe is simplified a bit so that I could use more readily available ingredients.

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour


• Tapioca starch (corn starch or potato starch should also work)


• Kombu dashi (I used homemade, but store-bought dashi might also work)


• Eggs


• Cabbage


• Bacon (instead of pork belly)


• Vegetable oil


• Hoisin sauce (instead of okonomiyaki sauce)


• Nori

Directions:

1. Mix one cup flour and about a cup of dashi. Add the liquid gradually until the batter has a thick gooey consistency.


2. Mix in a tablespoon of starch. This makes the batter a bit stickier.


3. Take the outer leaves of a head of cabbage and wash them thoroughly.


4. Cut off any thicker stemmy parts. This will ensure the cabbage cooks thoroughly.


5. Chop the cabbage into thin strips, then chop perpendicularly to get tiny squares.


6. Add the cabbage to the batter, then crack two eggs on top.


7. Mix gently to break up the egg. Then scoop from the bottom and fold over so that the cabbage is evenly distributed with the batter.


8. Take two strips of bacon and cut them into thirds.


9. Heat a non-stick pan on medium and lightly grease it by spreading a bit of vegetable oil over it with a paper towel.


10. Once the pan is hot, scoop the batter onto the pan, making sure it is spread evenly. Keep a bit of batter in the bowl for the next step.


11. Lay the bacon across the top of the pancake, then cover it with the last bit of batter.


12. Cover and let the pancake cook on one side for two minutes.


13. Now it's time for the hardest part, flipping the pancake. You'll need to use two spatulas for this. Place the spatulas underneath so that they fully support the pancake, then flip towards you in one fluid motion.


14. Once you've flipped the pancake, cover again and cook another two minutes on this side.


15. After two minutes, turn the heat up to medium high, flip the pancake again, and cook to get a bit of browning.


16. Flip again and brown the other side.


17. Turn off the heat and move the pancake to a plate.


18. Spread hoisin sauce over the pancake, then sprinkle with some nori flakes.

And that's it. It's fairly easy to make once you master the flipping action. My okonomiyaki had a crispy outside and a chewy interior. I'm not entirely certain that's how it's supposed to be, since I've never actually had this dish before, but it was pretty tasty. And anyhow, okonomi literally means "whatever you like", so I guess there isn't a wrong way to do it. Since the recipe is pretty flexible, it's a great way to use up leftover odds and ends. I actually added in some rehydrated shiitake and par-boiled sardines and bonito flakes from making dashi stock earlier.

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