52 weeks of cooking – Multi-Course Meal
Growing up my brother was the one who was more interested in cooking than I was, he even considered going to culinary school at one point. He was the one who introduced me to okonomiyaki, cabbage pancakes. The fun part is the toppings: slices of pork belly, seafood, green onions and then slathered in okonomiyaki sauce, mayo and sprinkled with seaweed and bonito flakes. They can be a lot of work and I don’t always have all of those special toppings on hand, but I always have cabbage.
This version is very simple in comparison; they really are just cabbage fritters with a little sauce. You get the same great familiar flavor of okonomiyaki with a lot less work, they make the perfect little appetizer or side dish for a Japanese feast. In this version I use dashi, a Japanese stock base made from kelp and bonito (smoked tuna). You can find it in powder or granules form at most Asian grocery stores, if you can’t just use water and some salt. You should also be on the look out for okonomiyaki sauce, if you can’t find it Just One Cookbook has a simplified recipe with things you might have on hand at home.
Mini Okonomiyaki
-
Yield:
12-16 -
Category:
Appetizers
Ingredients
Cabbage cakes
- 1/2 head green cabbage, sliced thin
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 c flour
- 1 c dashi stock or water
- 1 egg
- oil for frying
- bonito flakes (optional)
To serve
- okonomiyaki sauce
- mayo
Directions
Cabbage cakes
- Toss together the sliced cabbage and green onions, add the flour, dashi and egg. Mix together, I like to use my hand.
- Heat a large pan on medium high heat, add about 1 tablespoon of oil and allow to get hot.
- Scoop the mixture into small cakes and flatten a little, dress with a pinch of bonito flakes.
- Cook until one side is browned about 2 minutes, flip and cook for a further 2 minutes until the other side is brown.
To serve
- Dress each pancake with a smear of okonomiyaki sauce and a blob of mayonnaise. These make good appetizers for a Japanese feast.
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