A slight twist on the classic okonomiyaki with sausage instead of seafood and a homemade sauce.

Sausage Okonomiyaki

Serves 3

At its core okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake made with a wheat flour base tossed through cabbage and topped in whatever way you like. My okonomiyaki starts with a modified Korean pancake base (the use of glutinous rice flour and potato starch add both texture and crispness to the final product) with cabbage and scallions. Traditional recipes for okonomiyaki use grated mountain yam to make the batter fluffier. Often this is substituted with silken tofu but I used baking powder.

This okonomiyaki once cooked is flavorful, slightly chewy and boasts tender cabbage. Top with a smoky, sweet sauce and mayo and serve. For something fun, replace the sausage with leftover turkey or other protein leftovers.

Ingredients

Sauce

5 T ketchup

2.5 T oyster sauce

2.5 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T maesil

1.5 t sugar

1 t fish sauce – optional

Pancake dry

97g (0.75 c) AP flour

50g (0.25 c) glutinous rice flour

50g (5 T) potato starch

2 t onion powder

2 t garlic powder

1.25 t sugar

1 t kosher salt

0.75 t baking powder

0.75 t ground ginger

0.50 t ground white pepper

0.25 t MSG - optional

Wet ingredients

3 eggs

136ml (0.50 c + 3 T) water or dashima broth

340g (0.75 lb) cabbage, thinly sliced

30g (3) scallions, sliced

Toppings

3 sausages, sliced 0.25 in thick on a bias

Kewpie Mayo

Scallions

Recipe Know-how

1.      In a medium bowl stir together the sauce ingredients mixing well to combine.

• Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

• Refrigerate until needed.

2.      In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, whisking well to combine.

• Add the eggs and 75% of the water mixing to form a batter.

Do not add all of the liquid to begin with so the bater isn’t too loose.

Add the remaining liquid slowly as needed to make a batter that is a little thicker than pancake batter.

• Add the cabbage and scallions.

• Fold into the batter with a spatula mixing everything well.

• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight before using.

3.      Preheat your oven to 160 C / 320 F.

• Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and set aside.

4.      Five minutes before begging to cook remove the batter from the fridge and stir well to recombine.

5.      Preheat a frying pan over medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes.

• Add 2 t of vegetable oil to the pan and heat for 30 seconds longer.

• Pour approximately 310g (1 slightly heaped c) of batter into the pan.

• Working quickly, use a heatproof spatula, flatten into an even thickness and pull any extra liquid batter into the edges of the “cake” to create smooth sides and a cohesive patty.

• Top with the slices of 1 sausage, pressing them into the patty.

• Cover and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.

• Reduce the temperature to medium-low and flip the patty.

• Cover again and continue to cook for 3 minutes longer.

• Increase heat to medium and flip the patty again.

• Cook uncovered for 90 seconds longer.

Test for doneness by pressing on the center of the patty. It should feel, solid yet fluffy.

If the patty is still soft and feels wet when pressed reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue to cook an additional 90 seconds to 2 minutes or until cooked through.

• Remove to the prepared rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.

• Repeat with the remaining batter until all of the batter has been used.

6.      Place one patty on each plate.

• Top with the reserved sauce, mayo and scallions.

7.      Serve.