Sunday, June 2, 2013

japanese veggie pancakes {okonomiyaki}


Happy Sunday, friends! The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy wrapping up the school year, but I'm happily almost officially to summer break now!

It's tempting to simply order in every night when life gets busy, but I find that, for me, getting in the kitchen after a long day is almost a necessity if I'm going to really unwind from the day. Even if it means eating dinner a little later, spending just a bit of time chopping, measuring, and mixing is like therapy for me. On that kind of day, I generally stick with very familiar recipes, ones I've made so many times that it's almost like muscle memory (peanut noodles and enchiladas are a couple that fall into this category).

This recipe does not fall under the "muscle memory recipe" label, but when I spotted it on Smitten Kitchen a couple weeks ago, I knew that it must be made as soon as possible. And let me encourage you -- please do the same. Make them as soon as possible. Because we loved, loved, loved these. The crunchy veggies form the perfect little fritter, and the tangy sauce is just to die for. This gem of a recipe is destined for repeat on the busy weeknight rotation.

Japanese Veggie Pancakes {Okonomiyaki} (slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
makes 12 small pancakes (but make them as large or small as you like!)

for the pancakes, you'll need:
1/2 small head cabbage, thinly sliced (ends up to about 5 cups of shreds)
4 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
5 kale leaves, ribs removed and cut into thin strips
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup AP flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Canola oil

for the sauce, you'll need:
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (Note: This recipe is vegetarian apart from this ingredient. For a vegetarian option, Annie's makes a vegan worcestershire sauce, or you can make your own at home.)
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix cabbage, carrots, kale, almonds, scallions and salt together in a large bowl. Add flour and toss well until it lightly coats all the vegetables. Stir in the beaten eggs.

Heat a bit of canola oil (enough to coat the bottom) in a large skillet over medium high heat. To make the pancakes, use your hands to grab a bit, lightly form it into a loose ball, and add it to the skillet. Press down gently with a spatula to flatten only slightly. Add as many small pancakes as you like to the skillet to cook at once (I cooked 3 at a time). Cook each pancake about 3 minutes per side, or until the edges brown. Transfer cooked pancakes to a tray while you cook the remaining veggie mixture. (Note: If you'd like to keep them warm while you cook the rest and make the sauce, simply keep them on a tray in a 200 F oven for as long as you need to.)

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, until thickened and smooth.

Serve pancakes with a bit of sauce drizzled on top and a sprinkling of scallions and almonds (or whatever you like!). Enjoy!

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20 comments:

  1. These look and sound wonderful. You can't go wrong with Deb at SK. At first, I thought this would be very complicated but I'm surprised (and happy) to see it's very manageable and I have a lot of these ingredients already!
    I totally agree with you about cooking therapy and the need for muscle memory cooking but also discovering new recipes. I hope we see lots of recipes from you during the summer break. My son is finished on the 21st!

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    1. Thanks Monica! I also thought they were going to be a lot more complicated than they were. And that's the best when you have most (or all) of the ingredients already around!

      I'm hoping to get a lot more cooking and blogging done this summer as well! Good luck to your son in these last few weeks! xo

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  2. I find being in the kitchen is a way to unwind and a stress reliever, too! Glad I'm not the only one :) It kind of takes my mind off everything sometimes. This looks delicious!

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    1. Thanks Ashley! Happy you can relate to my need for cooking therapy! :)

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  3. I saw the post on SK a while back and bookmarked it. We go to a specific Japanese place for them, but it will be great to make our own. I love that it's kinda like a slaw pancake - best of both worlds.

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  4. This looks awesome and reminiscent of the Korean pancakes (pajeon). If it's a recipe from Deb, it's sure to be a winner!

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    1. Thanks Eva! They were definitely a hit in our home!

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  5. this has been on my mind for a long time. need to make this one of these days. Enjoy your break - may I add how jealous I am!

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    1. Thanks Dixya! :) I'm definitely grateful for it!

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  6. How cool are these? I love learning about new-to-me foods! I will have to give these a try :).

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    1. Let me know if you give them a try - hope you love them as much as we did!

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  7. This looks delicious and something I would never think to make! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Thanks for opening my eyes to something new, Marie! These pancakes look perfectly delicious and full of good-for-ya veggies. Great recipe!

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    1. Thanks Georgia! It was my first time making them at home, but it definitely won't be my last!

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  9. Wonderful and fresh idea and recipe. I will be trying this very soon!

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  10. I have never even heard of these! But the recipe sounds good!

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    1. I hope you give them a try - they're delicious!

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