Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

• 400g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 200g pork belly slices (or streaky bacon)
• 4 eggs
• 150g plain flour
• 200ml dashi (or water)
• ½ tsp salt
• Vegetable oil for cooking

For the toppings:

• Okonomiyaki sauce (or HP/Brown sauce in a pinch)
• Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie)
• Bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• Aonori (dried green seaweed) — optional
• Pickled ginger — optional

Method

1. Make the batter. Whisk flour, dashi, eggs and salt together in a large bowl until smooth.
2. Fold in the cabbage — it should look like a LOT of cabbage relative to batter. That’s correct.
3. Heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Add a splash of oil.
4. Lay pork belly slices on the pan to render some fat. If using bacon, cook briefly first.
5. Pour the cabbage batter over the pork, spreading into a thick disc about 2cm thick.
6. Cook 5-6 minutes on the first side, pressing down occasionally with a spatula.
7. Flip carefully — use a plate to invert, then slide back into the pan to cook the other side.
8. Cook another 5-6 minutes until both sides are deep brown and the centre is set.
9. Slide onto a plate. Drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce in a zig-zag, then mayo in the opposite direction zig-zag.
10. Pile bonito flakes on top — they’ll dance in the heat. Sprinkle with aonori and pickled ginger if using.
11. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Tips

• Cabbage-to-batter ratio is high — if it looks like not enough batter, you’ve got it right.
• Cook on medium, not high — you want the centre to cook through before the outside burns.
• Flip with a plate — okonomiyaki is too heavy to flip in the air. Slide onto a plate, invert the pan on top, flip the whole thing.
• No okonomiyaki sauce? Mix 2 tbsp ketchup + 1 tbsp Worcestershire + 1 tsp soy + 1 tsp sugar. Works.
• Kewpie mayo is worth it — sweeter and tangier than regular. Use the squeezy bottle for the zig-zag effect.