Okonomiyaki Night!

I love okonomiyaki! Well, actually, I love the idea of them. I never ate any in restaurants because they are usually garnished with bonito flakes. Tonight however, I really wanted to cook something special and this came to my mind! An okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake that is traditionally garnished with ponzu sauce, mayo, bonito flakes and lavish leaves.

For tonight, I made an easy version of ponzu sauce and a cashew mayo to top off my red cabbage pancake. Delicious! Simple, yet very impressive!

Here is what you need for 10-12 pancakes:

For the pancakes:

• 1 potato
• 3 carrots
• 1/2 cabbage (red or green)
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1/4 cup seaweed flakes
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for pan-frying.

For the ponzu sauce:

• 2 tbs ketchup
• 2 tbs tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp maple syrup

For the mayo:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup of water
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 pinch of salt

Here is what you do:

For the ponzu sauce: Mix all the ingredients with a spoon.

For the mayo: Process all the ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth.

For the pancakes:

1. Wash and peel the potato. Pass it under water to remove some of the starch and then grate it. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with some salt. Mix well and let sit.
2. Wash and peel the carrots. Grate and add to the potato.
3. Wash the cabbage and cut finely or grate. Mix in with the carrots and potato.
4. Grate the ginger piece and add it to the mix along with the seaweed flakes.
5. In a bowl, mix the rice flour, chia seeds, and corn starch with the water. Add to the vegetables and mix until well combined. Season and add the red chilli flakes.
6. In a skillet on medium heat, place some oil. Add 1/2 cup of the mix at a time and press it down with a spatula. Cover with a lid and let cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, flip over and let cook again for 3 minutes with the lid on.
7. Place on a cookie sheet in the oven until you are done cooking the other pancakes.
8. To serve: garnish each pancake with some ponzu sauce and mayo. Serve hot! Itadakimasu!

These are so delicious! Crispy on the outside, tender in the inside, slightly sour because of the ponzu and creamy with the mayo: it’s like a party in your mouth!

I will definitively make these again. Let me know if you try them out!