Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancakes with Bacon)

Photo: ume-y · CC BY 2.0 · source

Osaka's savory "cook it how you like" pancake: shredded cabbage held together with an egg-rich batter, crisped with bacon on top, then painted with tangy-sweet okonomi sauce and zigzags of mayo.

Ingredients

• about ⅔ head green cabbage (1¼ lb), finely chopped
• 4 eggs
• 6 oz thick-cut bacon, halved crosswise
• 4 green onions, sliced
• ¾ cup chicken broth or dashi
• ½ cup panko
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce

From your pantry: 1 cup flour, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ cup ketchup, 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp oil.

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt with the broth until smooth. If you have time, let the batter rest in the fridge for an hour; it makes the pancakes fluffier.
2. Stir the ketchup, Worcestershire, oyster sauce and sugar together for the okonomi sauce.
3. Add the eggs, panko and most of the green onions to the batter and mix, then fold in the cabbage a third at a time until it's evenly coated.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Spoon in half the batter and shape it into a 7-inch round about ¾ inch thick. Lay half the bacon on top.
5. Cover and cook until the bottom is golden, about 5 minutes. Flip carefully, press lightly, cover and cook 5 minutes more, then flip once more and cook uncovered 2 minutes. Repeat with the rest.
6. Brush each pancake with the sauce, drizzle with mayo in thin lines and scatter the remaining green onions on top. Cut into wedges to serve.

Tip: Grated nagaimo (mountain yam) is the secret to restaurant fluffiness, and the classic toppings are bonito flakes, aonori and pickled red ginger. Add whatever you can find.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

Adapted from Just One Cookbook.

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