Okonomiyaki

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 2-3 inch Nagaimo/Yamaimo, grated
• ¾ cup dashi stock, or ¾ cup water with 1 tsp. Hondashi powder
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup Tenkasu
• ¼ cup Pickled Ginger (Kizami Shoga)
• 8 cups cabbage (about a whole large cabbage), finely diced
• 1 cup squid, chopped into small pieces
• Oil
• ½ pkg of sliced Pork Belly, cut into 3 inch pieces
Toppings
• Okonomi Sauce (or homemade Okonomi Sauce)
• Japanese mayonnaise
• Hana Katsuo (Katsuobushi)
• Dried Seaweed Powder (Aonori)
• Green onions, finely chopped
• Pickled Ginger for garnish
• *Please check Pantry page for ingredients you may not be familiar with.

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder.

2. Grate Nagaimo in the bowl and add Dashi-Jiru.

3. Whisk well and keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, remove the core of the cabbage and finely dice the cabbage (finer the better).

5. Take out the batter from the fridge and prepare the rest of ingredients on the kitchen counter.

6. In the bowl, add eggs, Tenkasu, and Pickled Ginger, and mix well. Then add squid and mix again.

7. Stir in the cabbage.

8. In a non-stick frying pan heat oil on medium to medium high heat. Scoop one ladle of batter and place on the pan. Do not flatten the mixture because it will easily break when you turn it over.

9. Place 2-3 sliced pork belly on top of Okonomiyaki and cook covered for 5 minutes.

10. When the bottom side is nicely browned, turn it over and cook covered for another 5 minutes.

11. Turn over one more time and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

12. Apply Okonomi Sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, and sprinkle Hana Katsuo. You can also put dried seaweed powder (Aonori), green onions and Pickled Ginger (Kizami Shoga) on top for garnish.

13. If you have a Japanese griddle (We call it “Hot Plate”) with a lid, you can cook several Okonomiyaki at once!

Notes