This has become one of my standard weekend breakfasts. It’s not much harder to make than Canadian/American style pancakes and is more reminiscent of the kind of food I grew up eating on the weekends. I used to wake up to my mom making congee or noodles. It was the best. Most importantly, okonomiyaki have ingredients I always have readily available. There’s also veggies in it, which is not standard for most breakfasts I make for myself.

Now a note on authenticity: There’s a lot of ways to make okinomiyaki, and I didn’t grow up with any tradition of making this. In fact, I’ve never even had it outside my house (damn you, pandemic!) This is a recipe that works for me, and makes one single serving. This is something I’ll make if I’m eating breakfast alone, because my husband grew up eating sugary cereal on weekends and doesn’t like savoury food first thing, unless it’s bacon and eggs.

Ingredients

Batter

• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp dashi granules*
• 1/4 cup water (lukewarm to warm)
• 1 cup shredded/finely sliced cabbage
• 2 green onions – green parts, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup tasty extras

Tasty extras: I used leftover chicken in this recipe. I’ll usually use leftovers as long as they’re not too heavily spiced/sauced. Canned tuna is also a good option, or stir fried mushrooms. Most recipes call for bacon or ham.

Toppings

• Okonomi sauce* – as much as it takes to drizzle over everything
• 1 tbsp mayo
• 1/4 cup or so sliced nori (optional)
• A big pinch of bonito flakes (optional)
• Hot sauce/sriracha (optional)

Let’s do it!

1. Whisk together the flour, dashi, egg, and water in a small bowl. Whisk until JUST combined, it’s okay if there are still clumps.
2. Let that sit while you chop the cabbage, tasty extra of choice, and green onion.
3. Mix together until well combined.
4. Heat oil in a wok (or other reasonably non-stick pan).
5. Under medium heat, pour the mixture into the wok and distribute all the ingredients evenly until flat. Keep the heat at medium. Too hot and the pancake will burn before the cabbage has time to cook.
6. Cook for about 5 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready to flip when the pancake is moving around in one piece on the pan if you shake it. For those with sensitive noses, you’ll be able to smell a bit of toastiness.
7. Flip using a big, flat spatula.
8. Cook for another 5 minutes.
9. Slide onto a big plate, spread mayo on top, drizzle okinomiyaki and hot sauce, and top with nori and bonito flakes.

Notes

Dashi granules are a neat ingredient I recently learned about. It’s instant dashi – the fishy soup base for miso soup. I use Hondashi made by Ajinomoto, which has lactose in its ingredients, but I figure it’s in such small amounts that it won’t do too much damage to my insides. It’s awesome when you want to add some umami flavour to things, or just make a quick soup.

Okonomi sauce is like a thick Worcestershire sauce and is something that you can make yourself (google it), but if you’ve got access to an Asian grocery store, it’s cheap, lasts forever, and is pretty good on fried foods.