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Serves: 4 Prep: 15 mins Cooking: 15 mins
What you need
flour (whole wheat preferred) (1 cup)mirin or japanese cooking sake (optional) 2 teaspoons
large head cabbage 1 small or ½, shredded
cooked noodles (soba, udon, ramen or whole wheat spaghetti) (2 cup)
bean sprouts 225g (2 cup)
powdered or flaked dulse (or any seaweed combination) 1 teaspoon
okonomiyaki sauce 1 cup
green onions, (½ cup), finely sliced
peanuts (optional) 2 teaspoons, crushed
corn kernals (optional) (½ cup)
How to do it
1. Mix flour with 1½ C water (add mirin if used) and on a warm (but not-yet-hot) non-stick griddle or frying pan, spread a thin layer to make a 10" circle. Keep heat on medium-low.
2. Layer half the cabbage and half the bean sprouts on each crepe. Put about 1/4 of the green onions and 1 T peanuts (if used) on each.
3. At this point you can, optionally, add corn, strips of tempeh, seitan or veggie "meat" slices. Pour a little more of the flour mixture on top to bind the cabbage and sprouts. Sprinkle a little of the okonomiyaki sauce all over the top.
4 & 5. When the bottom just starts to slightly brown, using two spatulas, flip the crepe over and increase the heat. Push down firmly on the top with the spatulas, allowing the ingredients to cook.
6. On the griddle or on another non-stick pan, divide the noodles into two 9" round piles, add a little okonomiyaki sauce and then scoop up the entire crepe and slide it on top of the noodles.
7. This step is used to put the crepe on top of a cooked egg, but many okonimiyaki houses offer a slice of mochi (solidified rice) or a thin slice of eggplant or other bland vegetable for a vegetarian alternative. The okonomiyaki should be picked up and laid on those ingredients, if they’re used.
8. Flip the entire pie again and add the remaining green onions and the seaweed powder then spread the remainder of the okonomiyaki sauce on top.
9. Now the cook slides the finished okonomiyaki to the cooler part of the grill in front of the customer. Either the cook or the recipient uses a small spatula to cut it into bite sized pieces. (Since cutting on a non-stick surface might damage it, slide the okonomiyaki onto a plate first).
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Serves: 4 Prep: 15 mins Cooking: 15 mins
What you need
Tomato SauceTomato paste/puree 2 teaspoons
Tamari or soy sauce 2 teaspoons
Mirin 1 teaspoons
Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon
Wasabi “Mayo”
wasabi paste 2 teaspoons
Vegan “Mayonnaise” or Vegenaise 3 tablespoons
Garnish
dried nori seaweed 2.5 g (1/16 oz), 1 sheet
black sesame seeds 3 tablespoons
Pancake
cabbage 225g (2 cups), shredded
carrot 55g (½ cup), shredded
onion 30g (¼ cup), chopped
dried shiitake mushroom 15 g (½ oz), rehydrated and sliced
silken tofu 340g (12 oz)
cornstarch/cornflour 3 tablespoon
nutritional yeast 2 tablespoon
white miso 1 tablespoon
mirin 1 tablespoon
salt ½ teaspoon
toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon
How to do it
1 to make the sauce, “mayo,” and garnish: In a small bowl, stir together the tomato paste/puree,tamari, mirin, and mustard; reserve. In another small bowl, stir the wasabi into the vegan “mayonnaise.” Toast the nori over an open flame on a gas stove until it crisps, then crumble or chop it into pieces and put them in a bowl. Toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan until they are fragrant and shiny with oil, and mix them with the nori.
2 to make the pancake: Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas 6. In a large bowl, mix together the cabbage, carrot, onion, and shiitakes. In a food processor, puree the tofu and scrape down the sides, repeating until smooth. Add the cornstarch/cornflour, yeast, miso, mirin, and salt and process to mix well. Stir the puree into the vegetable mixture.
3 Coat a 10-in/25-cm springform pan with half of the oil, then spread the tofu mixture in it. Press to make a flat, thin pancake, then drizzle the remaining oil on top. Bake until the pancake is golden and firm in the middle, about 30 minutes. Take it out, remove the pan sides, and carefully run a spatula between the cake and the springform bottom. Slide the pancake onto a platter or serving board and drizzle it with the sauce and wasabi “mayo.” Cut it into four wedges, sprinkle with the nori garnish, and serve.