Today’s food request was submitted by Noriko, from Japan: she asked my take on the mighty Okonomiyaki which literally translates into “whatever you like, grilled”. This Japanese savoury pancake may contain a variety of ingredients from fish, to meat to veggies so much so that it is also known as the Japanese Pizza. Being so versatile I couldn’t resist: starting from a very simple and common batter made with flour, water or dashi (similar to fish stock) and shredded cabbage, I made both a more traditional version and a twisted, American take.

3-4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 tablespoon of potatoes starch
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of dashi
• 1 big handful of shredded cabbage
• 1 small, chopped onion
• 2 eggs
• 6-8 bacon slices
• 1 handful of cooked shrimps
• 1 tablespoon of pickled ginger
• 1 tablespoon of dried shrimps
• spring onions
• Okonomiyaki sauce (or a mix of ketchup, Worchestershire sauce and soy sauce)
• Mayonnaise
• Aonori (or dried parsley)
• Katsuobushi (or bonito flakes)

You will need

• A bowl, a frying pan or a skillet, a cup
• A chopping knife, 1-2 tablespoons, a whisk, a ladle, 2 spatulas

In a bowl combine one cup of flour with one tablespoon of potatoes starch. Into a 3/4 of a cup of water dissolve a teaspoon of dashi and pour it in the bowl. Mix well until you get a silky texture, adding a bit more flour if it is too runny. Complete the basic batter adding a big handful of thinly sliced cabbage, a small handful of chopped onion, two eggs, salt and pepper. To the base add a handful of roughly chopped shrimps, pickled ginger and dried shrimps. Combine everything gently until everything is well coated in the batter.

Pre-heat your skillet or a frying pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the surface and pour a big ladle of your batter to get thick and round pancakes. Place bacon strips on top and add a tablespoon of batter to embed them into the pancake. Turn it after four minutes with the help of two spatulas. Cover with a lid and cook four more minutes, then flip it again.

Glaze the top of your pancake with Okonomiyaki sauce. If you don’t have it you can prepare my cheat version of it: mix three tablepoons of ketchup with one of Worchestershire sauce and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Spread this sauce on top of the Okonomiyaki and sprinkle it with finely chopped spring onions. Criss-cross it with light mayonnaise, a sprinkle of aonori (a dried, green seaweed) and a small handful of katsuobushi or bonito flakes.

Best comments from You Tube on Japanese Okonomiyaki ( お好み焼き )