Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancakes)

published 4/24/2020

Okonomiyaki translates to “grill as you like it” in Japanese. These delicious pancakes are a mix of vegetables, meat, and seafood, typically cooked on a flat top “Teppanyaki” style. The sauces really make the dish and combine all the wonderful flavors together. My Perfectly Imperfect recipe includes pretty basic ingredients (except for  a few) and the result is still a quick and easy dinner with an Amazing taste of Japan!!


PREP TIME: 10-15 minutes

COOK TIME: 20 minutes

SERVINGS: 4

ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1 TSP Salt
  • 1 1/4 cups Water
  • 2 Eggs (whisked)
  • 2 TSP Fish Sauce (optional)
  • 2 1/2 cups Cabbage (sliced and chopped)*
  • 2-3 Carrots (shredded)
  • 4 Scallions (chopped)
  • 6 slices of Cooked Bacon (chopped)**
  • 1-2 TBSP Avocado Oil (or any high heat Oil)

Toppings

  • chopped Nori (dried Seaweed) optional
  • Wasabi/Chili Sauce (optional)
  • Bonito (dried fish flakes) optional
  • Pickled Ginger (optional)

Okonomiyaki Sauce

  • 1/4 cup Ketchup
  • 1 TBSP Agave or Honey
  • 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 TBSP Oyster Sauce (optional)

Kewpie Mayonnaise (Japanese Mayo)

  • 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 TSP Rice Wine Vinegar***

If you have those sauces obviously just use them instead 🙂

*To cut the Cabbage you want to slice through the head in 1/2 in slices. Then rotate and slice again the same way. You want cuts not shreds of the cabbage.

**If you want a more traditional flavor you can add in chopped up Cooked Shrimp as well. Or keep it Vegetarian and don’t add any animal proteins at all!

***White Wine Vinegar can be substituted if you don’t have Rice Wine Vin.

instructions

  1. Mix Flour and Salt in a large bowl. Pour in Water, Eggs, and Fish Sauce. Stir until smooth.
  2. Add in half of the Cabbage and Scallion and stir to combine. Then add in the rest along with the Carrots and Bacon. Stir. Using your hand, knife, spoon etc, divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.
  3. Heat Oil in a large pan or flat Pancake Griddle over medium-high to high heat. Add 1 or 2 portions, depending on what you are cooking on, and flatten into a thin pancake shape with a spatula. Cook 4 minutes.
  4. Flip over and cook another 4 minutes. (See notes on how to flip perfectly!)
  5. Flip one more time and cook for 2 minutes to crisp up the bottom.
  6. Top with both sauces in a criss cross manner. 
  7. Garnish with chopped Seaweed and more Scallions. ENJOY!!

To Flip: Use a spatula to slide the Pancake onto a plate. Take another plate and turn in upside down over the Pancake. Use both hands and flip the plates over. Now your Pancake is upside down. Use the spatula to slide it back onto the griddle!

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