Who said you can’t have pancakes for dinner? My version of savoury Japanese okonomiyaki is lip-smackingly good, and it tastes just as good the next day in lunchboxes or on a weekend picnic. You could also try serving them with eggs for breakfast to get your day off to a cracking start!
1 cup plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup vegetable stock
3 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 cups shredded Chinese cabbage (also called wombok or Napa cabbage)
100g (3.5 oz) sweet potato, peeled, coarsely grated
¼ cup finely sliced spring onions (scallions), plus extra to sprinkle
½ cup vegetable oil
Japanese tonkatsu sauce* to serve
Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise* to serve
Nori flakes or nori furikake* to serve
Whisk the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, stock and soy sauce and whisk until smooth. Add the cabbage, sweet potato and spring onions and mix to combine.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 cupful of the batter and use a spatula or spoon to shape into a thick round pancake. Cook for 3 minutes or until the underside is golden. Flip the pancake over. Cook for another 3 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter in two more batches. Drizzle with the tonkatsu sauce and the mayo and sprinkle with spring onions and furikake.
Notes:
– Japanese tonkatsu, Kewpie mayonnaise and furikake are available from Asian grocery stores or online.
