Okonomiyaki

I seem to be in a pattern of making/posting about things about which I know nothing at all, and today's offering is no exception. I had never even heard of okonomiyaki until this past Shrove Tuesday (i.e. pancake day), when I saw them on a "pancakes around the world" Buzzfeed list. But one look and I had to try one - or something like one - at the earliest opportunity. 

As luck would have it, when my partner was in grad school he lived upstairs from a place that churned them out in quantity, so I had an educated palate to give me feedback as I compared the relative possibilities and merits of various recipes. The end product was a sort of semi-crispy veggie frittata/pancake hybrid; my partner gave it the thumbs-up, and I'll admit that it was pretty damned good. And anyway, what could possibly be wrong with learning another way to eat pancakes?

Okonomiyaki

Batter

Ingredients

~ 12 oz. firm silken tofu

~ 1 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk 

~ 1/4 cup rice wine

~ 2 tbsp. mellow white miso

~ 1 tbsp. hot sauce (I used Sriracha)

~ 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

~ 1/2 cup each: all purpose flour, chickpea flour

~ 1 tsp. each: chili powder, ground ginger

~ 1 tsp. black salt




Directions

~ Blend all ingredients in a food processor and transfer to a mixing bowl. You should have a texture similar to a pancake batter; add a little extra water if it seems too thick.




Vegetables

Ingredients

~ 1 large onion, quartered and sliced into thin crescents

~ 3 cloves garlic, minced

~ 1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks

~ 1 cup sliced mushrooms

~ 3 cups shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, and/or brussels sprouts

~ 1 large carrot, shredded

~ 1/2 cup chopped scallions




Directions

~ Place a nonstick baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 300 degrees.

~ Coat a large, deep skillet with cooking spray and cook the onions, garlic, bell pepper,and mushrooms over high heat for about 5-7 minutes.


~ Add the cabbage and/or bean sprouts, carrots, and scallions, and cook another minute or two, until ever so slightly wilted. 


~ Remove from heat, add the cooked vegetables to the pancake batter, and mix thoroughly.


~ Set aside for at least 10 minutes.

~ Wipe out the skillet, place over medium-high heat, and add another coating of cooking spray.


~ Pour in half the okonomiyaki mixture and allow it to spread out to form a pancake.
~ Cook over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes, then flip (carefully!) and cook 10-15 minutes more, until browned and crusty. 

~ Remove the first pancake to the preheated baking sheet and cook the remaining half of the batter as above.


~ Cut the cooked okonomiyaki into wedges and serve with tonkatsu sauce and spicy mayonnaise. (I mixed 1/2 c. Vegenaise with a healthy shot each of hot sauce, soy sauce, and agave; not traditional, I'm sure, but good!)