This vegan Okonomiyaki Recipe is easy to make and super delicious! You’ll love the Japanese Savory Pancake with Cabbage for lunch, dinner, or for meal prep!
I was even happier when I had to chance to try okonomiyaki at its origin: in Japan. There you have super cozy okonomiyaki restaurants in which each guest has their own small grill plate on which you can fry your own okonomiyaki. Such a great and delicious experience!
What is Okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki comes from the Japanese Cuisine and is composed of “okonomi” (“liking/taste”) and “yaki” (“grill/fry”). Thus, it means nothing more than “grill what you want“. So you can grill the Japanese pancake to your heart’s content.
The dish finds its origin in Japan. Here, one distinguishes mainly between two different ways of preparation:
According to the “Osaka style”, the white cabbage is added directly to the batter, which is then fried. According to the “Hiroshima variant”, a wheat flour patty is first fried separately before the white cabbage, pork belly, noodles, and egg are added on top.
In Japan, the so-called “Japanese pizza” is prepared in front of the guests or by the guest himself on a hot griddle.
How to prepare this Japanese dish
Depending on the style, the recipes vary. Basically, however, the dough consists of flour, water and cabbage. As described above, egg and meat are usually added. For my vegan version, I add a little spring onion and salt. Due to the intense toppings, it tastes quite wonderful!
The preparation is relatively simple: you can easily mix the dough together a bowl and then fry it in a pan.
The topping for Okonomiyaki
The sauce and topping are what make okonomiyaki special. No matter the style, the traditional sauce consists of Worcester sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce and sugar. Usually, the crepe-like flour pancakes are served with bonito flake powder, aonori (small ground nori seaweed) and a mayonnaise. Toppings for the Japanese pancakes include fried shrimp, kimchi, scallions and/or cheese.
For my vegan version, I mix up a tonkatsu sauce made of soy sauce, tomato paste, mustard and sugar. Together with vegan mayonnaise, it goes perfectly with the dish.
Ingredients
- 200g flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cabbage (finely shredded, about 400g)
- 1 bunch spring onions (chopped)
- 200 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp flax seeds
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp mustard
- Vegan mayonaise
- Fried Onions
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the okonomiyaki. Mix gently to a nice dough. Leave some spring onions aside for topping later.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush the skillet with some oil and scoop half of the cabbage mixture into the skillet to make the first Okonomiyaki. Flatten the mixture with a spatula and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until brown. Repeat with the remaining mixture, wiping out the skillet and brushing more oil, if needed.
- While Okonomiyaki is frying, prepare the Tonkatsu Sauce by mixing together soy sauce, brown sugar, tomato paste, and mustard.
- Top the okonomiyaki with tonkatsu sauce and mayonnaise. Sprinkle with fried onions. Serve hot and enjoy.
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