Okonomiyaki


Okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake. We had these in Osaka and they are a wonderful street food. I made this version with grated taro and chopped bacon and green onion. If you don't have taro, try a potato. You can play around with the mix-ins-- the cabbage is the essential ingredient. For an authentic touch make the sauce and put it in a thin-tipped squeeze bottle. Drizzle the sauce over the pancake. Repeat with mayonnaise or aioli in the perpendicular direction. It's fun. It's tasty.


Okonomiyaki
Makes 4 - 7" pancakes

4 oz taro root, peeled and grated (or a Japanese sweet potato)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
4 large eggs
3 cups shredded napa cabbage
8 slices bacon, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 Tblsp pickled ginger, minced
coconut oil for frying

for sauce:
2 Tblsp BBQ sauce (check for gluten)
1 Tblsp ketchup
1 1/2 tsp tamari
1 tsp sugar
dash worcestershire

Combine the taro, broth, flour and eggs into a batter in a large bowl. Add the cabbage, bacon, onions and ginger. 

Over medium-low heat heat a heavy frying pan with a tablespoon of coconut oil.  Spread a quarter of the batter into a 7" round pancake. Fry 5-6 minutes covered.  Flip carefully with 2 spatulas. Fry 3 minutes more, covered. 

In a small bowl mix together the sauce ingredients, transfer to a bottle with a thin-tipped nozzle. Serve pancakes hot, drizzled with sauce and mayonnaise.