I’m really excited to share this recipe! After eating Okonomiyaki at a local Japanese restaurant, I was hooked. I was determined to make a comparable plant-based version that didn’t cut corners on the massive flavors delivered by this sweet & savory pancake.
Okonomiyaki translates to “to one’s liking – grilled.” For this reason, it’s sometimes referred to as the “as-you-like-it pancake.” Hence, tons of variations of Okonomiyaki can be found in the streets (it’s commonly served as a street food) and restaurants of Japan.
Asian cultures do a brilliant job of balancing sweet, savory, and sour flavors. Over time, I’ve come to respect and crave this quality in food, leading me to dabble more in Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, and other Eastern cuisines.
To me, Okonomiyaki epitomizes this sweet-savory flavor balance. The savory cabbage and umami from the dashi broth perfectly combine with a duo of sweet and acidic sauces. And then you have a meaty component from thin strips of marinated tofu (if you choose to use tofu), which caramelize during cooking. Finally, fresh pops of crisp green onion accentuate the palette with each bite. This dish is truly a firework display of flavor and textural delights!
Anyone who has had Okonomiyaki knows that eggs are a crucial ingredient because they do much of the heavy lifting of binding all of the ingredients together. I have it on good authority that potatoes are sometimes used instead of wheat flour in gluten-free variations of Okonomiyaki. So I don’t feel too guilty about using mashed, roasted sweet potato in this vegan version. In addition to acting as a binder for all of the other ingredients, sweet potatoes add a delightful earthy sweetness to the pancake.
Despite having several components, this dish comes to together surprisingly quickly, making it the perfect weeknight dinner that still feels special and different. Make it as soon as possible! And as always my friends, keep up the kitchen shenanigans 😎.
Vegan Okonomiyaki
Ingredients
Japanese Mayo
- 1 C vegan mayonasie homemade, or my favorite product is Follow Your Heart Vegenaise
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
Okonomiyaki Sauce
- 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 4 Tbsp ketchup
- 3 ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce Annie's has a good vegan product
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Okonomiyaki
- 1 C cake flour*
- ½ C plain, unsweetened almond milk** or your favorite plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 C vegetable or mushroom stock unseasoned (if using a seasoned stock, reduce the quantity of salt below)
- 1 strip of dried kombu crushed (optional)
- 1 tsp dried mushroom powder (optional)
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt (use ¼-½ Tbsp if using seasoned stock)
- ½ head cabbage green is traditional, but red works just as well
- 4 scallions chopped
- ¼ C pickled red ginger chopped
- 325 g peeled, roasted sweet potato or regular potato (e.g. russet)
- ¼ C dry psyllium husk, hydrated to a thick paste with water (can sub flaxseed meal, but psyllium husk has a more neutral flavor)
- ½ C tenkasu*** or an equal amount of breadcrumbs browned in vegan butter
- 1-2 Tbsp Japanese 7 Spice (optional)
Toppings
- thinly sliced teriyaki tofu (5 or 6 strips per pancake – optional)
- nori flakes (nori seaweed sheets that have been pulverized, e.g. in a food processor – optional garnish)
- any other toppings you like, such as imitation bacon bits, toasted nutritional yeast, pickled veggies, fried chilies, etc.
Instructions
Preparing the pancake batter
- Cut your sweet potato (or regular potato) into ½" disks and roast at 400°F until fork-tender, 20-25 minutes. If you have potato flakes, you can use these as a substitute by hydrating them with water or stock to yield 325g of mashed potato.
- While the potato is roasting, make your pancake batter. This batter helps bind all of the ingredients. As with any pancake batter, it needs to rest for around 30 minutes for optimum performance (gluten development, water absorption, etc.), during which time you can work on the other elements of the dish.
- In a microwave-safe cup, crumble in the strip of dried kombu and add the stock and (optional) mushroom powder to form a quick vegan approximation of a dashi broth. Heat in the microwave until it just begins to boil, 2-3 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave), to soften the kombu and allow the flavors to deepen. Stir in the milk.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and stir with a fork or spatula until everything is just incorporated but still lumpy (try not to overmix).
- Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you work on the rest of the components.
Preparing the rest of the ingredients
- Slice your cabbage by first cutting it into strips and then into ½" (or smaller) pieces. Chop your ginger and scallions into similar-sized pieces.
- If you don't have tenkasu, fry an equal amount of breadcrumbs in vegan butter until lightly browned.
- Once the potato is finished roasting, mash it into a smooth paste. Add the psyllium husk (or flaxseed meal) paste (there should be about ¾-1 cup of paste after hydrating). Mix the mashed potato and psyllium husk paste together until uniform.
- After the pancake batter has rested for at least 30 minutes, add the chopped cabbage, ginger, and about 3/4 of the chopped scallions to the batter. Add the mashed potato, tenkasu (or fried breadcrumbs), and optional Japanese 7 Spice, and mix until everything is incorporated.
- Make the Japanese mayonnaise and Okonomiyaki sauce by stirring together their ingredients until well combined.
Cooking the Okonomiyaki
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and swirl the pan to coat it with oil evenly.
- If you're comfortable flipping large items in a hot pan, pour half of the Okonomiyaki batter into the heated pan. If not, pour 1/4 or 1/3 of the batter in for smaller pancakes.
- If you want to add thin strips of teriyaki tofu to your Okonomiyaki (this is a replacement for the traditional pork belly), line the strips along the top of the pancake while it's cooking. This is an optional step – it tastes excellent without the tofu, but adding some vegan pork-belly-like ingredient here really amps up the heartiness and textural variation of the dish.
- Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Now for the fun part: flipping the Okonomiyaki. If you're really confident or just want to show off to friends/family, flip the pancake without a spatula. Or, flip it using two large and sturdy spatulas.
- Again, cover the pancake and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes longer, or until the underside is golden brown. Slide the finished pancake onto a serving plate.
- Repeat cooking process until all of the batter is used up.
Garnish & Serving
- Garnish Okonomiyaki with the sauces by spreading an even layer of Okonomiyaki sauce over the top, followed by thin lines of the Japanese mayo (either by using a squeeze bottle or carefully with a spoon). Form streaks by dragging a toothpick through the sauces perpendicular to the mayonnaise lines.
- Sprinkle the remaining green onions over the top, followed by any other garnishes you'd like (some fun additions might be imitation bacon bits, fried chili crisp, chili oil, toasted sesame seeds, pickled veggies, toasted nutritional yeast, orange zest, dulse flakes, etc.)
