So weird but so good

“Okonomiyaki though, what an experience!”

I recall writing this last year after my first introduction to the famous savoury Japanese pancakes, via a friend at work. Ronan had discovered this far-eastern staple when he and his missus visited the country 12 months previously, I think. Anyway, his adventuring was my culinary gain and after that initial tasting, I have pined for okonomiyaki on misty days when my misty eyes turned melancholic. Case in point, my yearning almost makes me want to put pen to paper, in a kind of love letter to okonomiyaki, a long lost sweetheart.

Dear Okonomiyaki, I’ll never forget you. You shine in my dreams like a childhood kiss. I remember even now your taste on my lips, your fragrance assails my soul.

Then I remember that I’m basically talking about a pancake and I tell myself to wise up.

Crafted with cabbage, eggs, flour and bacon, okonomiyaki is almost reminiscent of what we eat in this part of the world, particularly with the bacon and cabbage. But then the savoury okonomi sauce and the rich Japanese mayonnaise along with the bonito flakes move it onto the next level of indulgence.

“So weird but so good,” Herself opined last Sunday evening as we tucked into a couple of pancakes. And she wasn’t wrong. Okonomiyaki is all the more special because it’s a brand new taste, which is something you don’t experience very often.

The name is derived from the words ‘okonomi’ meaning, how you like and ‘yaki’ meaning cooked. So okonomiyaki means, cooked how you like it.

It’s amazing the information that the internet will throw up at the touch of a few buttons!

Personally, I don’t care what it’s called although our ones have started calling okonomiyaki, ‘daddy’s fancy pancakes – yuk!’ The wee buggers – and they wouldn’t even taste a bite due to the presence of the cabbage.

With so many variations like shrimp, bacon, pork belly, squid, octopus or cheese, it is perhaps no wonder that okonomiyaki is also known as Japanese pizza. In short, it’s very adaptable.

Yet and however, with the absence of so many Japanese staples in our local shops, to make these pancakes you kinda have to make do with what you have. Although, I can confirm that great okonomiyaki is very achievable. Even without bonito flakes or aonori seaweed or pickled ginger, it can still be great. Ask Herself. So weird but so good.

My version was, as usual, borne out of parochial necessity, which is to say, it lacks a great many of the authentic ingredients you’d find at a Japanese establishment or Asian supermarket. But it nevertheless ticks a lot of the right boxes.

The only luxury I afforded myself was to buy a genuine bottle of okonomi sauce from the internet. It cost me a fiver but so far, it’s playing a blinder at home with my fancy pancakes – yuk. It’s probably all the better the little humans don’t like it – all the more for me!

But for handiness sake and with the knowledge that not everyone is as wanton with their fivers online, I’ve included a recipe to make your own okonomi sauce.

INGREDIENTS – OKONOMI SAUCE
• 1.5 tbsps of ketchup
• half tbsp of Worchestershire sauce
• 2 tsps of honey
• 1 tsp of dark soy sauce
• pinch of ground ginger

PANCAKES
• 300g of white cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsps of plain flour
• scant tsp of dark soy sauce
• half tsp of sesame oil
• half tsp of chilli oil
• half tsp of fine sea salt
• 4/5 rashers of streaky bacon, fried crispy and chopped
• two spring onions, finely chopped
• vegetable oil, for frying
• mayo

THE PLAN
First make your okonomi sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

Shred the cabbage and chop the onion, mix and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, dump in the eggs, the flour, the salt, the soy, the sesame oil, the chilli oil and beat until completely combined and smooth. Stir through the shredded cabbage and onion and chopped bacon and mix well until everything is again, well combined.

Pour just enough oil into a large frying pan to cover the bottom and turn the heat up to a medium high.

Take a big ladle-ful of the mixture and place in the pan, flattening down with the back of the ladle. I was able to do two of these pancakes at a time. Fry for approximately two minutes on either side until they’re golden and starting to crisp. Remove and drain on a bit of kitchen paper.

To serve, lay a pancake on a plate, drizzle with your okonomi sauce and then streak with the mayo in the opposite direction. Top with the spring onions and it’s done.

ADDENDUM
After my unqualified successes with okonomiyaki I carried out a further experiment last weekend to make ‘okono-mex-yaki’. OK, so I just made that word up but basically, I made the pancakes but instead of Asian flavouring, I used a blend of Mexican spices and flavours and topped the pancakes with crema and hot sauce. The result: Ay caramba! They were realmente bueno.
But that’s another story.