Okonomiyaki from Japan

When I worked in a Language School we used to have quite a lot of Japanese students.  Once a month on a Friday I would have a cooking conversation class.  Students had to show the class how to make a traditional dish from their home country, talking us all through the steps.  A great way to practice speaking in English, and an even better way to feed us on Food Friday!  Without fail one of the Japanese students would make Okonomiyaki and it became a class favourite.  Basically Okonomiyaki is a kind of thick pancake, sometimes even called a japanese pizza.  There are different ways of making Okonomiyaki, depending on which part of Japan you are in.  In fact Okonomiyaki is Japanese for 'grilled as you like it' so whatever you include in it is really up to you.  You can make it seafood, vegetarian or full of meat.  I chose to make one with cooked beef mince,

Mince Filling:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup beef mince (you can use chicken or pork)
1 chili finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Pancake:
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped coriander
1 cup flour
2 eggs
mayonnaise and BBQ sauce for garnishing
Cook the mince and set aside to cool.  In a large bowl combine the cabbage, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander and flour.  Use your fingers to toss it all together so that everything is covered by the flour.  Add the eggs and whisk together until you have a thick batter.  Fold in the cooked mince and any other fillings you are choosing to use.  Use the mince filling saucepan to cook the pancake.  Heat the saucepan and empty out the cabbage pancake mixture into the pan.  Use a spatula to flatten down the top, pressing down quite hard.  Then push the edges back a little towards the centre so that you make a round thick pancake.  Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the bottom is brown.  Turn over the Okonomiyaki and press it down firmly with the spatula.  Let it cook for 5-7 minutes until brown.  Remember to cover the pan with a lid.  If you struggle to flip it over with the spatuala, what I do is slide it off the pan onto a plate.  Put another plate on top, turn it over and slide it back into the pan.  When it is cooked, slide it onto a plate.  Liberally drizzle BBQ sauce and mayonnaise on the top.  For an added garnish crumble some dried seaweed (nori) on the top.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine. She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U@ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B. All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com