Okonomi Yaki (Veggie Pancakes)

Bergy's Note:

These patties may remind you of Tempura but are really quite different. Serve them with a nice spicy sauce or with soy sauce. Some like to put butter on them. It depends on your meal or if you are eating them as a snack. They are very tasty. The number of srvings will depend on how you are using them. They make excellent appetizers if you make tiny pancakes

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1/2 small green cabbage, shredded (apprx 3-4 cups, red, Green or Chinese)
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 2 cups whole wheat flour or 2 cups white flour (you may need a bit more)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (10 ounce) can evaporated milk
• enough water, to make a batter
• 1/2 cup left over meat (optional) or 1/2 cup chicken (optional) or 1/2 cup fish (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix together the veggies.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients to form a smooth, pourable batter.
3. Mix the veggies in the batter the mixture should be of a consistency that you can spoon the patties on to the skillet, if not,adjuster with either water or flour.
4. On a heated sprayed with oil skillet drop spoonfuls of batter (apprx3 tbsp per pattie).
5. Your heat should be medium.
6. Brown well on one side flip and brown on the other.
7. Serve hot or cold.

Reviews

[mmmpork]

perhaps labeling this recipe okonomiyaki is a bit misleading. for a more authentic okonomiyaki recipe, don't use evaporated milk, brown sugar, or whole wheat flour. use a fine ground flour, or you can find okonomiyaki flour at asian grocery stores. i usually add grated mountain yam to the batter. secondly, if you are going to add meat, the typical thing to add would be thin sliced pork and/or seafood like fresh or dried shrimp and calamari. finally, the typical way they are served is smothered in okonomiyaki sauce, flaked nori, japanese mayo, and red pickled ginger.

[Seebee]

My mother has essentially this same recipe in her recipe box and used to make it every now and then; it's really good over hot rice. I experimented with the veggies I happened upon in my refrigerater: onions, mushrooms, spinach and red bell pepper. Not bad at all--the red pepper gave it a whole new flavor. I usually substitute tofu for the meat, but I didn't have any. I put in walnut pieces, which was delicious. P.S. don't try to saute the veggies unless you can find a way to make the final product not so dough-y

[Naomi Most]

These are tasty, but I'm not sure why they would be called okonomi-yaki. This is much more like chijimi, the korean savory pancake. There's a very different process to okonomiyaki -- plus you'd need to add pickled ginger to the fillings and fish broth (dashi) to the batter to make it taste like the Japanese food. Again -- tasty recipe, but not really okonomiyaki -- it shouldn't remind anyone of tempura...