This entry is inspired by the vegan okonomiyaki recipe of Boerschappen. Thanks for this: I had never heard of the concept of okonomiyaki, which is a Japanese savory pancake.
This recipe forms a great way to present vegetables in an original and very satisfying fashion. Hopefully I won’t horrify Japanese people with the variations and liberties presented below! Should you want to chip in with your experiences and variations, please do so.
Apart from the fact that I really like the taste – especially thanks to the sauces – I also really enjoy the concept of a warm dish that is in addition relatively complete from a nutrition standpoint. Looking at the Daily Dozen this recipe ticks the following boxes:
- Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage
- Other vegetables (carrots, onions)
- Whole grains (flour)
- Beans (soy sauce, OK not that much but every bit helps)
Ballast Substances
Furthermore, I am pleased to introduce a concept never afore mentioned on this blog: that of “ballast substances”. Nutritionists call ballast substances the components contained in food of plant origin and cannot be digested. They are especially abundant in fruits and vegetables and completely absent in animal proteins.
Ballast substances are composed of cellulose, fiber, etc. They benefit your digestion, helping to solve a lot of problems. The main advantage is a long digestion time, which gives you a long feeling of satiety. Ballast substances moreover remove bile acids, lower cholesterol levels, and ensure a normal stool (a type 4 on the Bristol stool scale).
And by the way: those seemingly useless compounds offer the additional advantage of having virtually no calories in them. So: you feel fulfilled, and you don’t put on weight. In this recipe you’ll absorb plenty of ballast substances through the cabbage and carrots.
Okonomiyaki Pancakes Recipe
Enough theory. Let’s get cracking on our okonomiyaki pancakes! In this case they are almost completely plant-based, vegan. The only exception: a little fish sauce.
Ingredients for the pancakes:
- Cabbage, whatever you have available: green, red, savoy… (100 grams per person)
- Carrots (100 grams per person)
- Onions, preferably spring onions or shallots (1 or 2 per person)
- Whole grain flour (50 grams per person)
- Vegetable broth (100 ml per person)
Regarding the measurements you can pretty much improvise here. You can mix the vegetables in whatever ratio you prefer. You can also add flour and broth to obtain your preferred thickness and consistency. My preference: go light on the flour! You can choose by the way any flour that binds well.
Ingredients for the sauces:
For the okonomiyaki sauce – if you can’t find it ready-made in the store:
- Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce (two soup spoons)
- Fish or oyster sauce (one soup spoon)
- Ketchup or chipotle (one soup spoon)
For an additional kick: mix (vegan) mayonnaise with wasabi or Dijon mustard.
Steps to follow:
- Prepare the sauces by mixing the ingredients.
- Grate or chop the cabbage and carrots into fine or rough slivers.
- Slice the shallots or spring onions into small rings.
- Mix the vegetables in a large bowl. Set aside about a quarter of the mix to serve as a salad side dish.
- Add the broth and sprinkle the flour into the rest of the chopped vegetables. Mix to create a batter.
- Heat up coconut or rice oil in a frying pan (coconut and rice fat sustain higher heat than your traditional olive oil). Medium heat.
- Pour the vegetable batter to create one pancake at a time. Bake the pancake three minutes per side. Use a plate to flip the pancake.
- Slide the pancake on the serving plate, add the salad vegetables on the plate, sprinkle some vinegar and oil.
- Pour the sauces on the pancake with a spoon. Create nice looking crossed lines or dots.
Optionally: crack seaweed chips and on top of the pancake for additional texture.
Enjoy your meal!