Okonomiyaki As You Like It Pancakes With Bonito Flakes Recipes

OKONOMIYAKI ("AS YOU LIKE IT") PANCAKES WITH BONITO FLAKES

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk. Add the flour mixture and mix until just blended. The batter should be quite thin. Add the chopped vegetables to the batter and mix well.Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium non- stick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of the batter to make a 6-inch (15 cm) pancake. Cook until medium brown, about 1 minute. Place ¼ of the meat on top of the pancake and then flip the meat side down. Turn heat to low and cook until the bottom of the pancake is browned, the meat is thoroughly cooked, and the vegetables are tender-about 10 minutes. Repeat until the batter is used up.To serve, brush the pancake with mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce, or soy sauce. Sprinkle with the bonito flakes and crumbled nori. Eat while piping hot.

OKONOMIYAKI

Steps:

• 1 Whisk together the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl
• 2 Whisk in the dashi and egg until the batter is combined, but do not overmix
• 3 Small lumps should remain
• 4 The total yield is about 1 1/2 cups
• 5 For each pancake, mix together 2 cups of cabbage, 1/2 cup tempura bits, 1/2 cup of the scallions and one-fourth of the batter in a separate bowl until well combined
• 6 Heat a teaspoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers
• 7 Pile in the pancake mixture and use the side of a spatula to tap it into a 10-inch round about 1/2-inch thick
• 8 Let the pancake cook for about 3 minutes, or until the batter is set and the bottom is nicely browned
• 9 Use two spatulas to carefully turn over the pancake, keeping it in one piece
• 10 Cook for about 3 minutes, until it is cooked through
• 11 Transfer to a plate; drizzle with okonomi or tonkatsu sauce; wasabi mayonnaise
• 12 Kewpie mayonnaise or Kewpie-style mayonnaise; and aonori or nori fumi furikake
• 13 Repeat the process with the remaining oil and pancake mixture to form and cook 3 other pancakes, garnishing as each one is done
• 14 Serve right away
• 15 VARIATIONS
• 16 To make one seafood okonomiyaki, add to 1 serving of the pancake-cabbage mixture: 3 ounces of shrimp or sea scallops, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and 2 teaspoons chopped pickled ginger
• 17 Cook as directed above
• 18 Serve hot, topped with 2 teaspoons okonomi sauce, 2 teaspoons of Kewpie mayonnaise and bonito flakes (to taste)
• 19 To make one smoked salmon okonomiyaki pancake, cook the pancake as directed above, covering the finished pancake with 3 ounces of sliced smoked salmon then topping it with 2 teaspoons of wasabi mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of slivered red onion, 1 tablespoon of peeled, seeded cucumber cut into 1/4-inch cubes and aonori or nori fumi furikake (to taste)
• 20 To make one margherita okonomiyaki pancake, preheat the broiler
• 21 Thinly slice 3 basil leaves and add to the pancake-cabbage mixture
• 22 Cook as directed above, making sure to use an ovenproof skillet
• 23 Top with 3 ounces of sliced fresh mozzarella, then broil for 1 minute to melt the cheese
• 24 Transfer the pancake to a plate
• 25 Serve hot, garnished with 1 teaspoon's worth of tomato paste from a tube, squeezed in a few squiggles, and 3 additional basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 26 To make one egg-and-baconomiyaki, fry two eggs (sunny-side up or over-easy or poached) in a small nonstick skillet; keep warm
• 27 Pile the pancake-cabbage mixture into a 10-inch round in separate 12-inch skillet as directed above
• 28 Lay 2 strips of bacon on top, using them to cover as much of the surface as possible
• 29 Once the bottom is nicely browned, flip the pancake over
• 30 Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bacon is nicely browned
• 31 Serve hot, topped with the fried eggs, nori fumi furikake and chopped scallions
• 32 NOTES: To make wasabi mayonnaise, whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of wasabi powder in a medium bowl
• 33 Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days
• 34 To make Kewpie-style mayonnaise, whisk together 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of seasoned rice vinegar
• 35 Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days

AUTHENTIC OKONOMIYAKI (JAPANESE CABBAGE PANCAKES)

Steps:

• If you are making your own okonomiyaki sauce, heat the ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves, stirring. Set aside. Make your dashi, if using.
• Put all the okonomiyaki ingredients except the bacon in a large bowl and mix well.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the oil. When the oil shimmers and a drop of batter sizzles, ladle about 1/4 of the batter into the skillet, shaping into a large, thick pancake. Layer several pieces of bacon on top.
• Cook over medium-low until the pancake is browned and set on one side. Do not rush; this will take around 7 or 8 minutes. Flip, and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter.PRO TIP: To help flip the pancake, you can always invert the pancake onto a plate, then slide it back onto the skillet.
• Serve, second side up, with okonomiyaki sauce, a drizzle of Kewpie mayonnaise, the nori, and bonito flakes.TIP: Kewpie mayonnaise is from Japan, but is easily available online and in specialty markets. The taste is better and richer than regular mayo because it is made from yolks only.