Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage ‘Pancake’)
To be honest it’s not really a pancake either. BUT it is delicious! And it does involve cabbage, one of my favourite vegetables. And it’s one of those brilliant, pop everything in the oven and let dinner cook itself meals.
Please don’t feel like you need to get all ‘cheffy’ and pipe the mayonnaise on top. I just wanted it to look really pretty for my photo shoot. Couldn’t help myself!
Oh and… If you’re wondering about the blue colour, it’s because I made it with red cabbage in advance which turns blue when exposed to alkaline conditions. It still tastes the same – just a bit more ‘smurf-like’ on the appearance.
Ingredients
- 500 g 1lb cabbage (1/2 small or 1/4 large)
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 100 g 3.5oz almond meal
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Instructions
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Grease and line a 24cm (9in) spring form pan. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F).
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Finely slice cabbage using a sharp knife. Place cabbage in a bowl with the eggs, soy sauce and almond meal. Stir to combine then pack the cabbage mixture into your prepared tin, flattening down to make the top smooth.
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Sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until well browned on top and the egg looks set when you cut into the middle. And the cabbage is no longer hard and crunchy.
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Stand for a few minutes to cool slightly before cutting and serving with mayo on top. Either dollop the mayo on or place it in a small ziplock bag and snip off one corner to use as a piping bag to drizzle over the mayo.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: Try it with a glass of cold Sake or a Japanese beer.
Variations & Substitutions
Short on time - use pre-shredded cabbage.
5-ingredients / über simple - skip the sesame seeds.
more substantial (carb lovers) - serve with steamed rice.
more substantial (low carb) - serve with roasted nuts like cashews, extra mayo or smashed avocado drizzled with a little more soy sauce.
Low FODMAP - replace almond meal with ground sunflower seeds or low FODMAP flour.
nut free - ground sunflower seeds or use flour or soft bread crumbs instead.
more Japanese - serve with 1-2 finely sliced nori sheets (seaweed used for sushi rolls). Or sprinkle over some schichimi togarashi.
more veg - add in or replace some of the cabbage with grated veg like carrots, beets, cauliflower or broccoli. A few sliced green onions (scallions) can also be nice. OR serve with steamed Asian greens on the side. Or just sprinkle over some baby spinach after its cooked.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the mayo separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm in the oven for 10 minutes or less and finish with the mayo.
More Favourite Cabbage Recipes
- Cabbage ‘Carbonara’
- Darya’s Egg Fried Cabbage
- Magic Sausage & Cabbage Supper
- Fast Roast Cabbage with Crunchy Bacon Gremolata
- Shaved Cabbage Salad with Parmigiano Reggiano & Aged Balsamic
- 7 Simple Ideas for Cabbage
Have fun in the kitchen!
With love,
Jules x
I haven’t taken the time to read your blog in awhile, but looked it up today (after eating your beef and buttery zucchini recipe last night)
I just love reading your blog. I love that the recipes are simple with ingredients I typically have on hand, that there are so many variations to meet everyone’s needs, and I’m regularly inspired and learning from the variety of food you present from around the world. Thank you for blogging and sharing.
Ooh Holly!
Thanks so much for dropping by and saying such lovely things. It’s always so rewarding to get comments like this. You’ve made my day :)
Hi! I stumbled upon this recipe and was intriqued since it has a lot less batter to the amount of veg than many other recipes I see, so I gave it a try. did alter the recipe a bit. I used all-purpose flour instead of almond flour, added 1 large grated carrot and a handful of chopped homemade pickled turmeric cauliflower. I think the biggest change I made was to cook it in a cast iron frying pan! my springform pan is buried deep in the recesses of my cupboard! I preheated the pan on the stovetop and oiled it really really well, like I do when making cornbread. then added the okonomiyaki and baked as prescribed. my biggest worry was it sticking to the pan and crumbling apart due to the small amount of batter, but after running a spatula around the edges it slid right out! the bottom was golden brown and crispy, perfect. I topped with an okonomiyaki sauce from one of my other recipes and dug in. very tasty!! I raved about it on facebook! I will definitely be making again, may try adding some seafood like chopped shrimp, crab or octopus. Thank you for your blog and all your hard work bringing us these recipes!!
Thanks for the review of the recipe Timothy! And good to know the recipe works with all-purpose flour as well – I was nervous when I read that substitution :)
And thanks for sharing. I really appreciate you helping to spread the word about Stonesoup!
This is 100% my favourite recipe ever. Okinomiyaki has been my favourite food forever but it is impossible to find a good one in Sydney these days. This recipe is my go to when I get the hankering, it is super authentic, healthy and absolutely delicious. We mix hot smoked salmon through ours! Thanks Jules!
Oh yay Naomi!
Surpised and delighted that you find it authentic – LOVE the addition of the smoked salmon
I made this last night – an excellent light-dinner option! I made it as described (except using flour instead of the rancid almond flour I found in my fridge…), using Timothy’s suggestion of a warmed cast iron skillet. Worked great, and much simpler set up and clean up.
I weighed out the ingredients, but I think there was slightly too much cabbage for the egg. That may just be a personal preference thing.
And, I can’t imagine eating a full half of this recipe… we ate half of the recipe together. I’m anticipating yummy leftovers-for- lunch tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to playing with this recipe in the future – I can see how added bits of the right leftovers could make it fresh every time.
Glad you liked it Cheri! And they are big serves so can understand if you ate less. If you want to play around with the quantity of cabbage you can always do that :)
I have followed this recipe several times – using mushrooms, spring onions and kale for my last effort – delicious!