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Easy Okonomiyaki

Kewpie mayo is important for photogenic drizzling, but also it tastes good.


We have gotten cabbage in our CSA a few times lately, and I don't have many cabbage-heavy recipes in my repertoire. So I decided to try my hand at okonomiyaki, which we got to try first in Osaka and then again recently in Eugene.

I didn't bother getting any seafood to put in it, because I didn't know if it would turn out well. But now that I know it's delicious, I will definitely try some squid and/or shrimp in it next time.

I followed this recipe from Budget Bytes for the actual pancake, and this recipe from Vegan Richa for the tonkatsu sauce. I chose both because they looked easy and used ingredients I already had. Perhaps one day I'll experiment with other recipes, but this was yummy and easy.

I shredded the veggies, made the batter, and made the sauce ahead of time. Then, at dinner time, it took about 6 minutes to cook and plate the pancakes.


The Recipe: (serves 4)
4 eggs
1 c water
3 tb soy sauce
2 tb sesame oil
2 cup flour (or less)
4-5 c green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
6 green onions (I used 1/2 of a regular onion and it worked), sliced finely
vegetable oil, for frying
optional additions: seafood like squid, shrimp, or octopus
optional toppings: bonito flakes, green onions, mayonnaise, Sriracha sauce, sesame seeds, tonkatsu sauce

Tonkatsu sauce:
2 tb ketchup
2 tb Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
splash of water
  • Whisk together the eggs, water, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Whisk in the flour little by little until it forms a thick, smooth batter (3/4 c to 1 cup total).
  • Add the vegetables to the batter and stir until evenly coated.
  • Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
  • Heat 1/2 tb vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat. 
  • If including seafood, add it to the hot grill and saute until cooked through.
  • Add the pancake mixture (about 1/4 of the batter per serving) and spread it out until it is 1/2 inch thick.
  • Cover the skillet while it cooks to hold in the steam and help the cabbage soften.
  • Cook until golden brown on each side.
  • Add toppings

The Verdict:
Overall grade: B+
Overall reason: Not so healthy once it's fried, but it's easy and yummy
Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Husband quote: Maybe you can cook it longer to make it more crispy next time? (This was when I tried to get away with using less oil to make it healthier. Failure noted.)
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