This savoury shrimp, cabbage, and bacon pancake is a great way to start a meal, or served as a main course, especially with a warm daikon salad. Kewpie mayonnaise is a must-have Japanese condiment and worth looking for. Other classic condiments for okonomiyaki: tonkatsu sauce, bonito flakes, and the red pickled ginger known as beni shoga.
Serves 2 to 3
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (500 mL) dashi stock (see the tip here)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 cups (1 L) green cabbage or napa cabbage, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup (185 mL) chopped raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 8 green onions, white and green parts separated, sliced
- 8 slices raw bacon, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil, divided
To serve
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Tonkatsu sauce
- Red pickled ginger (beni shoga)
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, dashi, and eggs using chopsticks. Mix in the cabbage well. Fold in the shrimp and the sliced white part of the green onions, then season with salt.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the batter, gently spreading out the batter with a heatproof spatula. Form another pancake beside it in the pan. Cook until the underside is browned, about 4 minutes, then place 2 pieces of halved bacon on the top side.
- Gently flip the pancakes so that the side with the bacon is now cooking. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the pancake is cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Drain on the paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter and bacon.
- Serve immediately with the mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce, and reserved green onions, with the pickled ginger on the side.
