Midweek meals: Tamal Ray’s recipe for okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake that has been a crucial addition to my arsenal of easy midweek meals when time and energy are in short supply. A faithful okonomiyaki recipe would have a few ingredients you’d find only in a specialist Japanese food store, but I’ve tried to stick to ones you’ll either already have or will be able to find in a large supermarket. Feel free to customise the filling, and especially the sauces, as you wish – I’d choose something rich, something sweet and something spicy.

Okonomiyaki

Prep 5 min
Cook 20 min
Rest 20 min
Serves 1

For the batter
30g plain flour
20g cornflour
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp Marmite
½ tsp brown sugar

For the filling
100g cabbage, shredded
3 spring onions (about 50g)
Vegetable oil, for frying
100g raw salmon, boned and skinned

To finish
Mayonnaise
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

To make the batter, sieve the flours into a bowl, then add the egg, soy sauce, Marmite and sugar, and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Set aside and leave to stand for 20 minutes.

Stir the cabbage and onions into the batter until evenly coated. Warm a teaspoon of oil in a small (15cm) saucepan on a low-medium heat. Slice the salmon into small chunks and arrange them in the pan, then top with the cabbage batter. Push it down gently, cover the pan and cook for seven minutes.

Flip the pancake on to a plate, then slide it back in the pan, pop the lid back on and cook for another six minutes until golden brown. Finish with a generous helping of all three sauces dribbled over the top, and enjoy.