The name of this delicious Japanese style savoury pancake is derived from the word okonomi, meaning “what you want”, and yaki meaning “grilled”, so feel free to add or subtract any ingredients that you desire! Just make sure the consistency is correct – they are very easy to make too gluggy. These are particularly scrumptious on a chilly autumn day.
Makes 2 (large pancakes) or 4 (small pancakes).
1 cup okonomiyaki flour (or plain flour if you can’t find this)
2/3 cup chicken stock
2 eggs
4 cups cabbage, finely chopped or grated
1/4 cup finely sliced spring onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 rashers bacon, finely chopped (optional)
Kewpie mayonaise and sweet miso (or hoisin sauce) for topping
Whisk flour and stock together in a large bowl until smooth. Add cabbage, eggs, spring onion and carrot and mix gently, but not too much – you don’t want to overwork the mixture. Oil a griddle or large, heavy fry pan that has been heated to 200 degrees C. Add mixture so that if forms two pancakes (or cook them one at a time if using a fry pan). Flatten the top with a spatula so that each pancake is about 1.5cm thick and 30cm across. Sprinkle bacon over each and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 4 minutes, then flip bacon side back up and cook for a further 3 minutes until firm and browned. Drizzle immediately with Kewpie mayonaise and sweet miso and serve.