Name: Okonomiyaki
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour; 1 cup arrowroot (tapioca flour); 1 tbsp baking powder; pinch sea salt; 3 eggs, lightly beaten; 2 cups (500ml) fish stock or dashi stock (or vegetable stock or water if you are not sure you will like the flavour); a medium-sized potato (about 150g), peeled and grated; ¼ wombok or small cabbage, very finely shredded; 1 large carrot, very finely grated (optional); 1 cup (100g) fresh bean shoots; 3 spring onions, white parts only, finely sliced; Tonkatsu sauce:; ¼ cup tomato sauce; 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce; ¼tsp Dijon mustard; 2 tbsp sake or chinese rice wine (shao sing); 1 tbsp soy sauce or kecap manis; Mayonnaise:; ½ cup whole-egg mayonnaise; 1 tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar; pinch sugar

Steps

Sift the flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs and stir well, then add the stock or water until you have a smooth batter the consistency of pouring cream. Add the potatoes to the mixture and mix well to combine. Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick fry pan, or a barbecue plate over medium heat. Add a dash of oil, then add the cabbage, carrots and spring onions and saute for two to three minutes until the cabbage wilts and the onion softens. If you only have room for one cake at a time, remove all the vegetables from the pan except for one quarter. Re-arrange the vegetables, including the bean shoots, into a round shape, about 16- 20cm in diameter, then spoon a quarter of the batter over the top to a depth of about 3cm.

Cook the okonomiyaki for a good four to five minutes on this side over a medium to low heat, giving the batter plenty of time to cook through without burning it. Turn the cake over with a large spatula then cook on the other side for a further two minutes. Remove and keep warm while you finish the rest.

Serve with both sauces and, if you want to be virtuous, a green salad on the side.

Variations: You can of course make this a meat-based version, by adding strips of bacon or proscuitto to the vegetables, or even prawns or pieces of fish. You can add any vegetables you want: mushrooms works well, as does bok choy, spinach or sweet potato. Once you've got the basic technique down pat, it's very easy to adapt it to suit.

Tonkatsu Sauce: Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Mayonnaise: Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

Tonkatsu Sauce

Mayonnaise

Steps

Nutrition Facts

Comments

Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

Tonkatsu Sauce

Mayonnaise

Steps

Nutrition Facts Nutrition facts are based on 1 serving. If servings is not specified, 4 is assumed for the total recipe.

Comments

Nutrition Facts