Okonomiyaki-Inspired Veggie Pancake
Serves: 2 (10-11 INCH) PANCAKES
 
Ingredients
  • Sauce (Optional, but who doesn’t love sauce?? Feel free to double or triple this)
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise*
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
  • Pancakes
  • 1½ 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
  • 1¼ 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
  1. Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside. This will stay good in the fridge for weeks.
  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.
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: ½ cup regular mayo + 1 tbsp rice vinegar + ½ 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.
Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/okonomiyaki-inspired-veggie-pancake-recipe/