Okonomiyaki with Sea Scallops and Homemade Otafuku Sauce
This is the classic Japanese pancake from Osaka. Once a quick and cheap snack to serve wharf workers, it is still served in bars around the waterfront in this booming city. Delicious and easy to make, you can ditch the Otafuku sauce and use Japanese Bulldog sauce – their version of Worcestershire – and found in supermarkets. Great with an ice-cold Asahi!
Makes 4
Ingredients
Batter
300g (2 cups) plain flour
75g ( ½ cup) potato starch
½ tsp powdered dashi stock
2 eggs
375ml (1½ cups) cold water
Filling
500g finely shredded wombok
4 tbsp Japanese pickled ginger, finely sliced
12 scallops, cut into small dice
Otafuku Sauce
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water to make a cornflour slurry
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
To Serve
Kewpie Mayonnaise
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp Japanese pickled ginger, finely sliced
4 tbsp bonito flakes
Method
Batter
Put the flour, potato starch and dashi powder into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs and dribble in a few tablespoons of water.
Whisk the eggs and water, incorporating some of the flour mixture from the sides. Gradually add all of the water, whisking in more and more flour mixture from the edges until you have a lump-free batter.
Cover and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Otafuku Sauce
Place the Worcestershire sauce, honey and ketchup into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and add the cornflour slurry.
Whisk until thickened and smooth, then remove from heat.
Stir in the ginger. Set aside to cool.
Make the Okonomiyaki
Lay out four medium bowls. Divide the cabbage, diced sea scallop meat and shredded ginger evenly between them. Pour a quarter of the batter into each bowl. Mix thoroughly. (Using this method, in individual bowls, rather than pouring ¼ of the mixture at a time directly into the pan, helps keeps the ingredients evenly distributed throughout the pancake batter.)
Heat a lightly oiled, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.
Cook one pancake at a time.
Pour the mixture into the pan and spread out to a 15cm circle.
Fry for 6 - 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Flip the pancake.
Use the tip a knife to poke holes in the top of the pancake to allow steam to escape and cook for a further 5 minutes on the second side, or until cooked through.
Place on a plate and keep warm in the oven. Continue cooking the rest of the pancakes.
To Serve
Slide the cooked pancakes onto large plates.
Brush liberally with the Otafuku sauce, drizzle generously with Japanese mayonnaise and top with finely sliced spring onion, shredded Japanese ginger and finally the bonito flakes to serve.