A best-seller on Brunswick East’s menu, we’ve got the recipe just for you. Set aside a Sunday morning to whip up their twist on the traditional savoury Japanese pancake and remind your friends how cultured you are.
The joy of Okonomiyaki is in the name, it translates to ‘grilled as you like it’ so feel free to do as the Japanese do and add and subtract to your tasting. In Brunswick East’s recipe, they add edamame, and replace the tenkasu tempura flakes with fried shallots. Traditional extras include thinly sliced pork belly, prawn octopus and squid.
Recipe Notes: For a vegetarian friendly pancake swap the dashi stock for vegetable stock and skip the bonito flakes. Brunswick East use GF flour , but plain or specialist okonomiyaki flour will also do the job. Any good Asian grocers should stock all the bits and pieces you need to make this dish delicious.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the mix
Dashi stock, 200ml
Eggs, organic, meduim, 4
Sweetheart cabbage, very thinly sliced, 600gm
Spring onion, thinly sliced, 4 stalks
Fried shallots, 60gm
Edamame beans, shelled, 1 1/2 cups
Mountain yam, grated, 150gm
Gluten free flour, 100gm
Toppings to accompany the pancake, per person
1⁄4 Avocado
Good pinch of pickled daikon
1 poached egg
3 rashers of bacon (optional)
To serve
Kewpie mayonnaise
Bulldog okonomiyaki sauce
Dried bonito flakes
Nori, thinly cut with scissors
Tenkasu tempura flakes or fired shallots Shichimi Togarashi
Pickled Daikon
Daikon, 1
Sugar, 1 cup
Rice vinegar, 1 cup
Pinch of salt
Method
To Make The Pickled Daikon
With a mandoline thinly slice a whole daikon. If you don’t have a mandoline, some tidy work with your favorite vegetable knife will do the job.
On a medium heat bring to the boil:
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup rice vinegar
Pinch of salt
One sugar has dissolved (roughly 4-5 min) take off the heat and allow to cool for ten minuets.
Place Daikon in a jar, pour pickling brine over all the daikon covered. Put the lid on and allow to rest at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Place in fridge until ready to use.
The Oknonomi-yummi
Make the pickle ahead of time then make the mix and get down to brunching!
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and dashi stock until smooth
2. Add the eggs, cabbage, spring onions, fried shallots. mountain yam, edamame and mix
3. On a hot griddle use your favorite oil prior to placing equal amounts of the mix down
4. Use a spatula to flatten pancake, until it’s roughly the size of your hand and about 1 1⁄2 – 2 cm thick
5. If you are adding extras to your mix now is the time to sprinkle them on top of the cooking pancake. For those who are adding bacon, place 3 rashers on top of each pancake side by side.
6. After roughly 3-4 minuets flip the pancake and cook for a further 4 – 5 min (bacon side down)
7. Whilst your pancake is cooking, place a deep pot of water with a healthy splash of white wine vinegar onto the boil. Once water has reached the boil, turn right down and put a lid on to keep it at temperature.
After flipping your pancake for the last time, (see 8) remove the lid from your water pot and poach 4 eggs (a medium egg should take 2 1⁄2 – 3 mins to cook) (It helps to set a timer, check your eggs after 2 1⁄2 mins, and then in 15 second intervals thereafter. You want beautiful runny yolks and properly cooked whites!)
8. Flip the pancake one last time and cook for an additional few minuets until your pancakes are firm, golden and crispy
9. Remove from griddle and place on individual plates, and get ready to add your toppings!
10. To your pancake (bacon side up) drizzle in a zig zag motion from top to bottom a healthy squeeze of Kewpie. In the same fashion but from left to right drizzle your Bulldog tonkatsu sauce.
Sprinkle pancake with fried shallots / tempura flakes and bonito flakes
In the centre of the pancake place 1⁄4 sliced avocado, 1 poached egg and a healthy pinch of pickled daikon.
Sprinkle your avocado and eggs with shichimi togarashi and finally top of with a small handful of thinly sliced nori. Annnd eat!