Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

• 150 g plain flour (maida)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200 ml cold water mixed with 1 tsp dashi powder (or light chicken stock)
• 4 eggs
• 400 g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp pickled ginger, chopped (optional)
• 200 g boneless chicken thigh, sliced very thinly
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, for cooking
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise, loosened with a splash of water
• 1 tbsp nori strips or crushed seaweed snack, for topping

Instructions

1. Stir the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Spoon the mayonnaise into a bag or bottle for drizzling.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and dashi water into a smooth, thick batter. Rest it for 10 minutes so the flour hydrates and the pancakes hold together.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken slices for about 4 minutes until golden and cooked through with no pink inside. Remove to a plate and wipe the pan.
4. Add the cabbage, spring onions and pickled ginger to the batter. Beat in the eggs and fold gently until every shred is coated. The mix should look more like wet cabbage than a pourable batter.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pan over medium heat. Mound a quarter of the mixture into a round about 15 cm wide and 2 cm thick, pressing lightly. Lay a quarter of the chicken on top.
6. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until the underside is deep golden and the edges look set. Slide a wide spatula under it and flip in one confident motion.
7. Press gently, cover again and cook for 4 minutes more until the centre feels firm and springy, and a skewer comes out clean. Move to a plate.
8. Brush the top with the sauce, drizzle with mayonnaise in a zigzag and scatter over the nori. Wipe the pan, add a little oil and repeat for the remaining three pancakes, keeping the cooked ones warm in a low oven.

Tips

• Shred the cabbage finely and evenly. Thick chunks make the pancake fall apart and cook unevenly.
• Keep the heat at medium. Too hot and the outside burns before the thick middle sets.
• Do not overmix once the cabbage is in, or the pancakes turn dense instead of light.
• Flip over a plate if you are nervous: slide the pancake onto it, invert the pan over it and turn both together.