Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)

In keeping with the Japanese theme of last night, I found a way to use up the rest of the cabbage that was in my fridge - Japanese pancakes!

I used to get these from the Japanese fast food chains in shopping centre food courts as a kid. Puffy pancakes loaded with crunchy and soft vegetables, soft floury dough and topped with tonkatsu and kewpie mayonnaise.

Here's a simple version that doesn't require any of those fancy Japanese ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups water
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 3 stalks spring onion, chopped
• 1/8 cabbage, shredded
• salt and sesame oil to taste

Method

• Sift flour into a mixing bowl, add eggs, and some of the water. Whisk, gradually adding water until a slightly thick batter forms. Drizzle sesame oil and pinch of salt. Mix well.
• Fold in carrots, spring onion and cabbage until all vegetables are coated in batter. Leave to sit for 10 minutes.

• Lightly grease a non-stick frying pan, ladle scoops of batter into the pan for form small pancakes (you can make a large one if you want, but it will be harder to flip).

• Fry until pancakes are lightly golden brown.
• Serve with sauce of your choice.

okonomiyaki