Okonomiyaki (Cabbage Pancakes)

I've been in a bit of a recipe rut lately. But, in looking for inspiration on what to do with the head of cabbage languishing in my fridge, I found a great new (to me) blog! Just taking a quick look through the "vegetarian" category has already done a lot to restore my kitchen enthusiasm. I think I may try to Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms and Kale Mashed Potatoes over the weekend. And in the meantime, the okonomiyaki recipe was a nice way to use up some of the cabbage.

When I've made okonomiyaki before they've honestly been mostly pancake with a few veggies mixed into the batter. Tasty, but definitely very different from this incarnation that is 90% cabbage with a little carrot and green onion thrown in for flavour and just barely enough batter to (mostly) hold it all together.

These are fine served on their own with a little soy sauce or sri racha mayo, but if you want to round out the meal a bit, I suggest serving them with sautéed mushrooms and/or sliced SPAM. I actually stumbled across some spicy Szechuan SPAM at the grocery store a few weeks ago, so I busted out a tin of that to complement the vegetably pancakes. Obviously, if you're trying to keep things vegetarian, mushrooms would be the better choice. Cremini mushrooms cooked in a little garlic, dark soy sauce, and miso paste would be lovely as an accompaniment. King oyster mushrooms cooked in a teriyaki sauce or simply fried in butter would also work well. Or perhaps even steamed black mushrooms. You have a lot of options, really.

Okonomiyaki

From Budget Byte$

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of cabbage (~4-5 cups), shredded
• 1-2 carrots, grated
• 3 scallions/green onions, sliced
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• ~1 c. flour (hard or soft)

Directions

1. Prep all your veggies, combine, and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, adding flour 1/4 c. at a time. You may not need all the flour. Just keep whisking it in 'til the batter looks like a nice consistency.
3. Add the batter to the veggies and stir to coat and combine well.
4. Spoon a generous dollop of the mixture into a well-oiled pan and press to flatten into a pancake. Cook over medium-low to medium heat (depending on your range).
5. Once the underside is browned to your liking, flip the pancake and cook the other side.
6. Repeat with remaining mixture.
7. Serve with your choice of toppings and accompaniments: more scallions, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sri racha mayo, mushrooms, SPAM, etc.