Okonomiyaki (or Japanese pancakes) is something I’ve been meaning to make for a long time. My cousin J and her husband J made it for me once and it was quite delicious! Thanks! 
When you put the fish flakes on, it wiggles around due to the heat. It’s the best part!
The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning “what you like” or “what you want”, and yaki meaning “grilled” or “cooked.” Not sure how authentic my recipe is, as I put whatever vegetables I had into this dish. But who cares, as long as you end up with a delicious experiment?
Over Memorial Day weekend, I had a few friends over for a leisurely dinner and relaxation. We paired this with a “make your own summer rolls” spread, as it was super hot in my place to make anything else requiring heat.
L-R: Fish sauce, peanut sauce, Sriracha sauce. I love sauces!!!!!
I didn’t follow a recipe but will share what I did. I find adding eggs to the batter helps rid of the floury aftertaste. Feel free to omit/add whatever vegetables or seafood you’d like!
Makes 3 large 12″ pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of Asian pancake mix (add more water if necessary)
1 1/2 cups of Okonomiyaki sauce (I substituted by mixing 4 tbs of Worchshire Sauce, a few squirts of ketchup and 1 tsp of sugar)
1 cup of shredded cabbage (I used purple, but it’s not recommended)
1 cup of zucchini, diced
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of sweet potato, diced
1/2 pounds of jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small frozen squid, diced
2 eggs
Japanese mayo
Sprinkle of Katsuobushi
Sprinkle of salt
Procedure:
1. Whisk pancake mix, flour, eggs and salt together with about a cup of water.
2. Add shrimp, cabbage, zucchini, sweet potato, squid to the mix. Add more water if the batter is too thick.
3. Heat up a large pan, with some oil, until hot. Using a ladle, add mixture to the pan, as evenly as possible. Cook on each side until crispy, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Smear a generous amount of sauce over the top, then mayo. Add Katsuobushi flakes at the end and watch them dance!
May 27, 2009
as i eat it, i usually end up dancing, too, but that’s another story.