Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)

For our latest dining out in Okinawa experience, hubby and I went to an Okonomiyaki Restaurant. We happened upon it while out shopping and sight-seeing. We had heard of this type of restaurant, where you choose ingredients for a cabbage batter pancake and cook it on a griddle at your table. It sounds strange, but they are really very tasty! The ingredients all compliment one another and the result is a savory, filling meal. At the restaurant my husband ordered a pork Okonomiyaki very similar to the one I recreated at home. Here is hubby's dinner at the restaurant:

I got a "Mexican" flavored Okonomiyaki. Bad choice. It wasn't terrible, but the spices were strange and I really preferred hubby's over mine. The next day my neighbor and friend Louise asked me if I knew what my next Japanese recipe was going to be and I said I wasn't sure. She gave me a recipe for Okonomiyaki without her even knowing we had just tried it the night before! It was cooking fate, I tell you! I "Americanized" the recipe because I realize you won't be able to find hakurikko flour, pickled ginger or dried fish flakes and I didn't use them in my recipe anyway. The next time you are feeling adventurous or want to try something exotic, I hope you will consider making your own Okonomiyaki. Just the name is cool, don't you think!? :) I listed variations after the recipe, as the sky is the limit with these!

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)
Serves 2
Printable Version

Ingredients
2 2/3 ounces flour
1 ounce yam (sweet potato)
3 1/3 ounce fish stock or water
2 think slices of bacon
3 1/2 ounces cabbage
Green onion
1 egg
1 ounce Worcestershire Sauce
1 ounce Mayonnaise
1 ounce Vegetable Oil

Directions
Rinse the cabbage and green onion in cold water. Cut the cabbage into julienne strips and the chop the green onions. Peel the yam and grate. Chop one slice of bacon thinly and leave the other.

Place the flour, stock (or water), and grated yam into a bowl and whisk throughly to create the batter.

Add the cabbage, green onion, bacon and egg to the bowl and mix well. 

Heat a griddle to 400 degrees and add some vegetable oil. Pour the batter onto the griddle and place the other slice of bacon on top. 

Heat for three minutes. Turn the pancake over and allow the other side to cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for three minutes. Flip on more time and cook another three minutes. 

Whisk the Worcestershire Sauce and Mayonnaise together and spread on the top layer. Serve immediately!

Variations: Shrimp, cheese, squid, corn, etc. in addition to or instead of the bacon.