Vegetarian Okonomiyaki Recipe

"As I very rarely eat meat, I found that I really did enjoy this recipe. I saw it being made on a television programme (Farm to Fork), and knew I just had to try these. Very different and yet so easy to make. I also think Kewpie Mayo is a must in this recipe, not you regular mayo. Kewpie is a Japanese mayonnaise and has a different flavor. A little chili could also be added to this recipe if preferred. Note : for recipe ingredients ~ Spring onion is also known as Eschallot. Tip from original recipe: Okonomiyaki freezes well. Once it cools down (no sauce or toppings), wrap each okonomiyaki in aluminium foil and put it in a freezer bag. When you want to eat it, defrost first and put it in a toaster or oven to heat it up."

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Using a large bowl, combine plain flour, salt, sugar & baking powder and mix well all together. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, eggs and stir in together to combine. Add the shredded cabbage, chopped mushrooms, ginger if using and white only parts of the spring onions to the bowl; mix well until well-combined. (The consistency should be rather thick, add water if needed to create a just slightly wet batter. Up to ½ cup or as needed. Vegetable stock could also be used.

Step 2

To make okonomiyaki sauce; Combine all ingredients and mix together.

Step 3

In a large pan, heat vegetable oil on medium heat. When the frying pan is hot, spread the batter in a circle on the pan. Thickness should be around 2 cm (3/4 inch). When the bottom side is nicely browned, flip over. Gently press and mould (with an egg flip of knife) the okonomiyaki to fix the shape and keep it together ~ Don’t press the okonmiyaki down too much, or it will be dense.

Step 4

Cover and cook for another 5 minutes the flip over one last time and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Continue with the rest of the batter.

Step 5

To make okonomiyaki sauce; Combine the 4 sauce ingredients and mix together.

Step 6

To serve; apply okonomiyaki sauce with brush, add Kewpie mayonnaise in zigzag lines, and sprinkle with dried green seaweed, chopped green part of spring onions, and pickled red ginger on top; Garnish with lemon wedges on side if using.