Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki) - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

Which cabbage is best for okonomiyaki? ›

Okonomiyaki is traditionally made with dashi, the essential Japanese soup stock, so if you have it, please use it in place of the vegetable stock. Half a regular-sized cabbage is all you'll need for this recipe and you could also substitute with purple cabbage.

Okonomiyaki flour is made of unbleached wheat and soy flours, leavening and spices such as kelp for flavor. It's designed to rise naturally on its own, meaning you don't need to add extra ingredients like nagaimo to get thick, fluffy pancakes.

In Japan, it's traditionally topped with okonomiyaki sauce, drizzles of Kewpie mayo, dried seaweed flakes, and bonito flakes.

It tastes similar to green cabbage. However, the purple variety is richer in beneficial plant compounds that have been linked to health benefits, such as stronger bones and a healthier heart. Purple cabbage is also thought to lower inflammation and protect against certain types of cancers.

Okonomiyaki is sometimes translated into English as "as-you-like-it pancake". However, this may be misleading. Though it does consist of batter cooked on a griddle, okonomiyaki has nothing of the sweetness or fluffiness of pancakes, not to mention that it is usually filled with octopus, shrimp, pork, yam or kimchi.

To make healthy pancakes, use whole-wheat or another whole-grain (cornmeal, oats or buckwheat) flour instead. Whole-wheat flour has 16 grams of fiber per cup compared to 3 grams of fiber in white flour.

Tips. If you cannot find okonomiyaki flour, use 100g of plain flour mixed with 2g of dashi stock powder and 1 tsp of baking powder.

The most traditional preparation would not even use Okonomiyaki flour at all, but would take regular wheat flour and add fresh grated Nagaimo or Yamaimo (Japanese mountain yam) to get the sticky glutinous texture that holds everything together.

This means that making Okonomiyaki one of your daily meals is actually a great way to take in the proper number of calories you need. And, since flour is used as the base ingredient, Okonomiyaki has further merit in being a truly filling dish.

A close cousin to okonomiyaki is hiroshimayaki, or Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

What is that flaky stuff on okonomiyaki? ›

Bonito flakes - known as katsuobushi in Japanese - are a strange food upon first sight. They are known to move or dance when used as a topping on foods such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

Once the okonomiyaki starts to slide in the pan when you shake it (about 5 to 6 minutes), lift up the edge to see if it's a nice dark brown. Once it is, flip the whole thing over using two flat spatulas.

Okonomi sauce is a descendant of Worcestershire sauce, but it is far sweeter and less salty than its British ancestor. This is because Worcestershire's main ingredient and the source of its powerful umami flavor is anchovies, while okonomi sauce's main ingredient is dates.

Cabbage - There's no magic here in the type of cabbage used, and Japanese cabbage salad is made using garden variety green cabbage. You do want to use a fresh head though and there are a couple things to look for. The first thing to check is the stem. Ideally it should be light in color and not brown or red.

I used savoy cabbage because it has a beautiful texture and color, but feel free to use any white / green cabbages. You can also use nappa cabbage leaves as well! Make sure to dry out the leaves thoroughly. If there's lots of water on the cabbages, the filling won't stick and the roll will come apart.

Many people prefer savoy cabbage to regular cabbage because of its milder flavour and tender leaves. This is the perfect cabbage for using raw and thinly sliced in salads, stir-fries, or braised with butter. Savoy cabbage works nicely as a fresh and crunchy wrap – you can substitute it for rice paper or tortillas.

Like savoy, napa cabbage has a delicate texture and sweeter flavor compared to red and green cabbage. Its leaves aren't quite as soft as savoy, so they add a mild crunch to raw dishes. When cooked, the sweetness intensifies, making it an ideal choice for sauteing or grilling.