Okonomiyaki

By Midge,

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Photo: Sarah Shatz

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• This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Street Food.

AMANDA & MERRILL'S TESTING NOTES:

Eggy and crisp, Midge's Kyoto-style pancakes are studded with plump morsels of tender shrimp and threaded through with ribbons of cabbage and rings of scallion. The savory batter is enriched with a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce, and the accompanying soy and sriracha mayo is a zippy accent -- we tore off bite-sized pieces of pancake and dunked them in the sauce before gobbling them down. - A&M

I went to Japan about 10 years ago and while I ate some seriously amazing things, I’d be hard-pressed to remember exactly what they were. That is, except for okonomiyaki, which I first tasted in a cramped corner shop in Kyoto that sold only these delicious savory pancakes. When I came home, my friend Becky – a fellow okonomiyaki nut -- and I tried to replicate the recipe to satisfy our cravings. This is by no means authentic and there are a ton of variations, but it sure hits the spot. - Midge

MAKES ROUGHLY A DOZEN PANCAKES DEPENDING ON THEIR SIZE

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sriracha, more or less to taste

Pancakes:

• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup AP flour
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
• 3/4 cups (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
• canola oil for frying
• 1-2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• bonito flakes (optional)

1. Whisk the first set of ingredients together and voila, your sauce. Set aside while you make the pancakes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Gradually add the flour until incorporated. Fold in cabbage, scallions, and shrimp.
3. Warm a couple glugs of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until glistening. Ladle the batter into the skillet as you would for regular old pancakes. I usually make them about the size of saucer. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Keep pancakes covered in a warm oven as you make the rest. Scatter sesame seeds and/or bonito flakes on top of pancakes and serve with dipping sauce and a cold pilsner.