Okonomiyaki
Sometimes referred to as ‘Japanese pizza’, the name ‘okonomiyaki’ actually means ‘grilled as you like it’, which goes to explain the many regional styles as well as personal variations there are of this dish. Just to confuse matters, okonomiyaki is probably more accurately described as a cross between a thick omelette and a pancake. This interpretation is based on the Osaka-style, where all the ingredients are mixed together before cooking.
SERVES 4
PREP 15 mins
COOK 12 mins
Ingredients:
- 150g white cabbage, finely shredded
- 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 50g kohlrabi or turnip, peeled and coarsely grated
- 110g plain flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1½ tbsp sunflower oil
- For the topping:
- mayonnaise in a squeezy bottle, for drizzling
- handful of radishes, sliced
- handful of wild garlic leaves (and flowers) or chives, chopped
- 1 tbsp pink pickled ginger (see below)
- 1 tsp nori flakes
Directions:
- Put the cabbage, spring onions and kohlrabi in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir well until thoroughly combined.
- Mix the eggs with 100ml water. Pour it into the bowl containing the dry ingredients and stir gently but thoroughly until combined. Try to keep the stirring brief as you don’t want to activate the gluten in the flour as this will produce a heavy pancake.
- Heat half the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and tilt the pan so it coats the base. Tip the contents of the bowl into the pan and flatten with a spatula into a thick, round pancake shape, as even as you can get it. Turn the heat down slightly and cook for 5–6 minutes, until light golden.
- Turn the pancake over (the easiest way to do this is to place a large plate on top of the pan and carefully turn it over to release the pancake). At this point, add the remaining oil to the pan before sliding the okonomiyaki back into the pan. Press down with a spatula and cook for another 5–6 minutes.
- Slide the okonomiyaki on to a chopping board. Drizzle the mayonnaise in lines over the top and pile the radishes, wild garlic, pickled ginger and nori in the middle. Serve cut into wedges.
[info title="Info message" icon="info-circle"]Per Serving 295 cals, fat 18.6g, sat fat 2.2g, carbs 24.8g, sugars 3.2g, protein 7.5g, salt 1.2g, fibre 3.4g[/info]
Pickled Ginger
Liven up veggie sushi, rice and noodle dishes with this simple recipe for pickled ginger which, unlike most shop-bought alternatives, is natural coloured, rather than artificial pink. Mix together 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons of caster/granulated sugar in a shallow bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add a 5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into paper-thin slices, and turn until coated. Leave the ginger for about 30 minutes to steep, or until softened. The ginger is ready to eat, but can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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