Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake dish that loosely translates to “grill what you like”. Traditionally, there are two variations of okonomiyaki – one from Osaka in the Kansai region, and the other from Hiroshima in the Hiroshima prefecture. The Osaka style pancake is usually made from a thin pancake like batter mixed with shredded cabbage and pork, while the Hiroshima style is made with batter, noodles, and traditionally served with seafood – both are served with a healthy drizzle of mayonnaise and Bull-Dog sauce. In our variation, we’ve used a fluffy hotcake base and topped it with shredded cabbage, school prawns and the traditional sauces for a quirky take on the Japanese favourite.
Ingredients
Method
1.Place flour, sugar, powders and pepper in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Place milk and sesame oil in a jug, and whisk to combine. Gradually add milk mixture to the flour and whisk until just combined (small lumps are fine).
2.Preheat oven to 100ËšC. Heat two 15cm heavy-based skillets over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp oil to each pan and swirl to coat base. Pour 160ml (2/3 cup) batter into each skillet. Cover with a lid (or foil), reduce heat to low and cook until golden and crisp on the base and the top is dry (4-5 minutes). Remove lid, carefully turn pancake with a spatula and cook until golden and set (4-5 minutes).
3.Remove hotcakes from pans, place on a lined tray and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining oil and batter.
4.Meanwhile, for school prawns, fill a large saucepan half full with oil. Place over medium heat until it reaches 180ËšC. Dust prawns in flour then shallow fry, in two batches, until golden and crisp (3-4 minutes). Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with furikake. Repeat with remaining prawns.
5.To serve, portion hotcakes as desired and divide among plates, drizzle with Kewpie and bulldog sauce. Top with cabbage, prawns and serve scattered with bonito flakes and furikake.
Furikake, bonito flakes, Kewpie mayonnaise and bulldog sauce are available from Japanese grocers.
