I took a little break from posting both here and on social media but I’m back. And with a GOOD one! This is one of those recipes that will reward you if you’re open-minded.  There will be some of you who will look past this Japanese vegetable pancake, also known as Okonomiyaki,  and think it’s nothing special.  You need to trust me here and make this.  Not only am I obsessed with this, Hubs and my son fight over every last scrap.  This is very filling as a light meal, or sometimes I’ll add a slice of smoked salmon on top for extra protein.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Inexpensive/budget-friendly; 
• ideal for using leftovers and what you have on hand; 
• besides cabbage, you can add whatever you like;
• super delicious!

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise – makes the base of the sauce for this pancake. I like using Vegenaise, but feel free to use regular mayo or Kewpie Mayo, which is a mix of regular mayo, vinegar, and sugar. 
• Sriracha – adds a nice spiciness to the sauce. Remember, you can always control the spice level in a recipe by using less of it. 
• Toasted sesame oil – optional, but I like the flavor in the sauce. I store toasted sesame oil in the fridge so it stays fresher for longer since it can easily go rancid. 
• Rice flour – I prefer using a brown or white rice flour for a lighter texture, but you can use all-purpose flour or a GF flour blend. If you use AP flour, you can try to mix it with some GF flour for a lighter result. 
• Baking powder – I prefer using aluminum-free baking powder. 
• Dashi – is a seaweed and bonito broth. It’s easy to make your own and really enhances the flavor in this recipe. Refer to the recipe in the notes. Or you can use chicken or vegetable stock or milk/plant milk, BUT the bonito flakes give a smokiness to the broth that MAKES the pancake, in my opinion.  You can buy a dashi powder as a shortcut.
• Eggs – help bind the pancake. Refer to the notes for how to make this egg-free. 
• Cabbage – You can use Napa, Savoy or standard green cabbage. A quick hack is to use a bag of “slaw mix” from the supermarket if you’re in a pinch. 
• Carrots – are inexpensive and delicious here. 
• Scallions –  If a recipe doesn’t specify to use the white or green part, it means you use the entire thing. 

How to make it? 

1. Mix sauce ingredients together. Set aside. 
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dashi (or milk) and eggs. Whisk ingredients together to make a smooth batter. Stir in the vegetables and toss to coat completely in the batter.
3. Preheat a 10 to 11-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough avocado oil to coat the bottom and wait for it to shimmer. Add half the batter and spread out over the skillet. Allow the pancake to cook until the underside is golden and cooked, about 5 minutes. The top will still be raw. Either flip the pancake (takes some practice) or slide onto a plate and invert the skillet onto the plate and flip. Use pot holders please!
4. Cook until the underside is golden, about 5 more minutes. You can also make lots of small pancakes. Serve with desired accompaniments. You can keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 250 degrees until needed, but these are best eaten right after you make them. You can shred the vegetables in advance and make the batter in advance, but don’t combine the veggies and the batter until just before cooking.

Tips 

• You can make these pancakes with your favorite fillings and toppings. Common additions include pork belly, shrimp, octopus, calamari, oysters, soba noodles, udon noodles, veggies, cheese, and smoked salmon. 
• In Japan, it’s traditionally topped with okonomiyaki sauce (sometimes labeled “Japanese BBQ sauce” which is like ketchup meets Worcestershire sauce, drizzles of Kewpie mayo dried seaweed flakes, and bonito flakes. 
• You can shred the vegetables and make the batter in advance, but don’t combine the veggies and the batter until just before cooking.   

Substitutions

• Rice flour – all purpose flour or a GF flour blend
• Dashi – chicken or vegetable stock or milk/plant milk or buy a dashi powder
• Vegan/Egg-Free – 2 cups chickpea flour mixed with 3 cups dashi or plant milk – let sit for a couple hours. Add veggies and spices of your choice. Proceed as the rest of the recipe. 
• You can swap in some thinly sliced kale for some of the cabbage. Be careful of using very high moisture vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms; or dense vegetables that won’t cook quickly like big pieces of sweet potato. 

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class!  My classes are great, informative, educational and you will ALWAYS learn something new to make you a better, more healthful cook! 

Okonomiyaki-Inspired Veggie Pancake

Pamela

4 from 1 vote

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Servings 2 (10-11 INCH) PANCAKES

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Sauce Optional, but who doesn’t love sauce?? Feel free to double or triple this
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise*
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil optional
• Pancakes
• 1 1/2 cups brown or white rice flour my preference, GF flour blend or all-purpose flour (if you use AP flour, try to mix with a GF flour for a lighter texture)
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 ½ cups dashi at room temp or cold (a seaweed and bonito broth | See recipe in notes). If you don’t want to use dashi you can use chicken or vegetable stock or milk/plant milk.
• 4 large eggs lightly beaten (see notes for vegan option)
• 6 cups very thinly sliced Napa or Savoy cabbage or standard green cabbage OR just use a bag of “slaw mix” from the supermarket
• 4 medium carrots finely shredded, about a scant 2 cups
• 4 scallions thinly sliced on an angle
• Avocado oil for cooking

Instructions

 

• Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside. This will stay good in the fridge for weeks.
• In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dashi (or milk) and eggs. Whisk ingredients together to make a smooth batter. Stir in the vegetables and toss to coat completely in the batter.
• Preheat a 10 to 11-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough avocado oil to coat the bottom and wait for it to shimmer. Add half the batter and spread out over the skillet. Allow the pancake to cook until the underside is golden and cooked, about 5 minutes. The top will still be raw. Either flip the pancake (takes some practice) or slide onto a plate and invert the skillet onto the plate and flip. Use pot holders please!
• Cook until the underside is golden, about 5 more minutes. You can also make lots of small pancakes. Serve with desired accompaniments. You can keep them warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 250 degrees until needed, but these are best eaten right after you make them. You can shred the vegetables in advance and make the batter in advance, but don’t combine the veggies and the batter until just before cooking.

Notes

How to make dashi: (this will make about double the amount you need for the recipe)
4 ¼ cups of water
1 (6-inch) piece of kombu (dried kelp)
1 cup dried bonito flakes (optional, but delicious)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and kombu to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and add the bonito flakes. Cover the pan and allow to steep for 5 minutes.
2. Strain stock through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander into a large bowl or another saucepan. If you are not using the stock immediately, allow to cool uncovered and then refrigerate it, covered for up to a week.

Vegan/Egg-free: 2 cups chickpea flour mixed with 3 cups dashi or plant milk – let sit for a couple of hours. Add veggies and spices of your choice. Proceed as the rest of the recipe.
You can swap in some thinly sliced kale for some of the cabbage. Be careful of using very high moisture vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms; or dense vegetables that won’t cook quickly like big pieces of sweet potato.

Here are some Traditional Garnishes
• Bulldog brand tonkatsu sauce
• Kewpie mayo*
• Julienned nori
• Katsuo bushi
• Japanese pickled vegetables or pickled ginger
*Kewpie Mayo is kind of like: 1/2 cup regular mayo + 1 tbsp rice vinegar + 1/2 Tbsp sugar

But like I said, you can top it however you like. Try American BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce mixed with mayo, or a spicy yogurt sauce with garlic, cilantro and cayenne.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!