Okonomiyaki

I love the ideas, philosophies, flavors and expertise associated with the extensive cuisine that is Japanese food, and have loved my American experiences with it so far. But I am by no means educated or experienced in Japanese food or culture and have yet to visit Japan. I also love cabbage. That said, I feel like the Okonomiyaki at Xiao Bao Biscuit in Charleston, SC was legitimate, delicious, and masterful. The day I returned to home to Denver I started working to try to replicate its unique semi-sweet, semi-wet batter, flavorful but using just enough to hold the cabbage into form and still allow it to shine and crunch in every bite. Once you get the hang of it all, the batter flavoring and topping possibilites (flexes) for this dish are endless. With this dish, always work to get better but never expect perfection, think about what is happening from start to bite and then have fun tinkering each consecutive attempt.

  • Makes: Amount, portion sizes

    Pancakes

    • ½ C Whole Wheat Flour

    • ½ C Soy Milk, plain and unsweetened

    • Ginger, jarred

    • 3 Tbsp Cane Sugar

    • ½ Tspn Kosher Salt

    • 1 Green Cabbage, cored and shredded

    • Olive or Vegetable Oil

    Toppings

    • Green Onion or Chives, diced

    • Kewpi Mayo, or any vegan mayo you like

    • Sriracha Hot Sauce

    • Soy Sauce Glaze

    • Furikake

    • Protein optional

    Notes: If you don’t already have a squeeze bottle with a narrow drizzling nozzle, it is worth picking one up somewhere. They are really cheap, you can usually find them in your local grocery store’s kitchen goods aisle, overnight some from Amazon, or save and reuse ones from store bought products you’ve emptied. Use them to get nice, clean, evenly distributed swizzles of the mayo and soy glaze (Sriracha already comes in a squeeze bottle!).

    If you’re vegetarian, an egg in your favorite style is the best protein topping. For a vegan, this really doesn't need a protein, but some strips of grilled crisped tofu would be great.

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