Cabbage & Spring Onion Okonomiyaki with Quick Sauce

⏱ 35 min · Serves 2

A sizzling Osaka-style cabbage pancake, crisp at the edges and fluffy inside, crowned with a glossy homemade okonomiyaki sauce, mayo squiggles and a flurry of bonito flakes. Weeknight-fast, endlessly customisable, and deeply savoury.

Per serving: 885 kcal · 29.0g protein · 68.0g carbs · 57.0g fat

Ingredients

• 120g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 150ml dashi (or water plus 1/2 tsp dashi powder)
• 2 large eggs
• 300g white cabbage (about 1/4 head), finely shredded
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp pickled ginger, chopped (optional)
• 6 rashers thin streaky bacon or 150g thinly sliced pork belly
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• For the sauce: 3 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie), in a squeeze bottle or bag
• 2 tbsp bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• 1 tsp aonori (dried seaweed flakes), optional

Method

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the dashi and whisk to a smooth, thick batter. Chill 10 minutes if you have time.
2. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
3. Beat the eggs into the batter, then fold in the cabbage, spring onions and pickled ginger. Don't overmix; you want the cabbage barely coated.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 22cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon in half the mixture and pat into a round about 2cm thick. Lay 3 rashers of bacon on top.
5. Cook 5-6 minutes until the underside is deep golden, then flip confidently with a wide spatula (or use a plate to help). Press down lightly and cook another 5 minutes, bacon-side down, until crisp and cooked through.
6. Flip once more so the bacon faces up, cook 1 minute, then slide onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter.
7. Brush generously with the sauce, zigzag over the mayonnaise, then scatter with bonito flakes, aonori and extra spring onion. Cut into wedges and eat hot.