If you’re looking for a new healthy and fun cooking project that also doesn’t require many hours of work in the kitchen, you have to try this Veggie Vegetable Okonomiyaki Recipe! If you don’t know what an okonomiyaki is, no problem. It’s a type of Japanese savory pancake made with cabbage, scallions, and assorted meats or seafood (best compared to a frittata). Our homemade vegetarian version isn’t quite authentic, but it’s healthy, delicious and super easy to make.
The first time I tried okonomiyaki, it was Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. That is, a thin flour pancake topped with layers of fried vegetables, meat, seafood, pasta, and eggs. It’s a very delicious affair that’s a little tricky to make at home on a regular stovetop.
In this okonomiyaki recipe, we’re working Osaka or Kansai style. In this way, all the ingredients are mixed together. Typical is cabbage, spring onions and a combination of meat and seafood or bacon. My recipe is of course vegetarian, so you won’t find any seafood or meat here. Instead, I mix together lots of cabbage, scallions, bok choy, and flour. Then I tie everything with a couple of beaten eggs. It’s super easy and super tasty too.
toppings
Once you’ve prepared your okonomiyaki, it’s time for the topping. In Japan, it is traditionally topped with okonomiyaki sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, dried seaweed flakes, and bonito flakes.
At home I like to use the following ingredients for vegetarian okonomiyaki:
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce – Traditional okonomiyaki sauce contains oyster sauce or fish sauce, so it’s not entirely vegetarian. Instead, I garnish mine with vegan Worcestershire sauce. It has a pretty similar ingredient list to regular okonomiyaki sauce, but it’s completely plant-based. Its sweet umami flavor is fantastic in this recipe. If you can’t find it, use a few dashes of Korean BBQ sauce or soy sauce instead.
- Mayonnaise – If you can find original Kewpie mayonnaise, I highly recommend using that for this recipe. Kewpie is made with rice vinegar, so it really complements the Japanese flavors in this recipe. Otherwise, you can mix a tablespoon of light salad mayonnaise with the juice of half a lime.
- Nori – We always have nori in the house because it keeps for months. Its umami flavor is only surpassed by roasted seaweed, which is offered as a snack in Asia. It doesn’t cut well with a knife. Use a pair of scissors, it will work for sure.
- Marinated Ginger – adds a sweet and tangy flavor.
- Sesame seeds – toasted, white or and black, it doesn’t matter. Sprinkle them over the Japanese pancake to add a toasty, nutty crunch.
- Spring onions – plus some coriander greens is a fresh garnish to top!
Okonomiyaki Tips
Grate the cabbage as finely as possible into thin, fine strips of cabbage for the best results. If your cabbage is too coarse, it won’t hold together well and will have a strawy texture. But we like it tender. I always use my mandolin (which is an extremely useful mandoline) for recipes like this. If you don’t have one, shred the cabbage in a food processor or use a sharp knife to cut the cabbage into very fine strips.
When you pour the mixture into your pan, spread it evenly and gently press down with a spatula. Not too strong, as the goal is a fluffy mixture so your okonomiyaki doesn’t become too thick.
Eat okonomiyaki hot immediately. Like many egg-based dishes, this vegetarian okonomiyaki tastes best hot out of the pan.
if you like our vegetarian vegetable okonomiyaki, you might also be interested in these recipes:
- oven-roasted fennel with parmesan
- Beetroot fennel salad on radicchio
- Fennel gratin with wild rice vegan
- vegan roasted cauliflower on mashed potatoes
- Fennel chicory salad
- more vegetable recipes
vegetarian vegetable okonomiyaki recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 50 G flour
- 50 ml milk
- 4 spring onions
- 1 Pak choi
- 200 G savoy Pointed cabbage, cabbage,…
- 1 red chili pepper
- ½ tbsp. Soy sauce*
- ½ tbsp. vegetable oil
to serve:
- Kewpie Mayonnaise* or low-fat mayonnaise
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce* or okonomi sauce (contains fish sauce)
- roasted seaweed* or finely chopped nori sheets
- sesame black/white*
- Lime cut into wedges optional
- sushi ginger* optional
- wasabi optional
Instructions
- Wash the spring onions and cut into fine rings.
- Wash the pak choi and cut into fine strips.
- Cut the cabbage or other cabbage into very fine strips. This works best with a mandolin (vegetable slicer)
- Deseed and finely chop the chili.
- Mix the flour with the eggs and milk until smooth. Add the bok choy, cabbage, chili, half the scallions and soy sauce. Mix well.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a small coated pan and pour in the vegetable batter. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the okonomiyaki (it works well if you flip it into a second frying pan) and fry for another 3 to 5 minutes. It’s done when a wooden stick inserted into it comes out clean.
- Place the okonomiyaki on a plate, drizzle over the mayo and vegan Worcestershire sauce in thin strips and garnish with extra chili, toasted nori, spring onions and sesame seeds.
- Sushi ginger and wasabi are enough as a side dish ()optional.
Nutrition
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