Vegan okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki loosely translates to "fried whatever-you-like", yet the traditional version always contains egg, plus almost-always a lot of meat, neither of which I like. In fact, when Erin and I went to an okonomiyaki place in London, our first since becoming vegan, we were told that not only could they not hold the egg, but that were they to do so it "would not be okonomiyaki." Friends, this is bullshit. In fact we have made vegan okonomiyaki many times, and while the recipe is still a work in progress, the results are pretty darn good. Okonomiyaki, especially in Kansai, fills the same ecological niche as pizza does in the US: go have a beer with your friends, or a low-key date, and eat fatty yet delicious food. Here's my recipe with a few different versions, but this, again like pizza, is definitely a recipe you should feel free to amend:

Version 1: Basic Recipe

Batter
* ~2 cups flour (we've only ever used AP flour, but trying it with a mixture of whole wheat flour might be interesting)
* ~1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
* 1 block of silken tofu
* 1 head of nappa cabbage
* whatever vegetables you might like to add. Common in Japan are thinly-sliced potato, corn for some reason, any kind of fake bacon (obviously real bacon is what they have in Japan), pumpkin, etc.
* a very little amount of oil for the pan

toppings
* ao-nori flakes for sprinkling
* some kind of sauce, either vegan okonomiyaki sauce if you can find it, or any sweet, not-too-spicy bbq sauce
* vegan mayonnaise

directions
1. This first direction is the secret key to true okonomiyaki, so don't skip it: mix the flour and most of the water together, making a thick batter (don't worry, the silken tofu and the remaining ~1/4 cup of water will thin it out later) and place the batter in the fridge for at least an hour. This allows the gluten in the flour to come out and form long strands, making the batter much stronger and improving the taste. Although I have not tried it, you could also leave the batter out of the fridge and for a longer time to get a quasi-sourdough action going.

2. After the dough has come together, take the block of silken tofu and whizz it up in a blender with a bit of remaining water. Add this to the dough and mix it in, trying to get it into a thick pancake consistancy. If you need to add a little more water or flour you can, but it doesn't need to be too perfect: this is cooking, not baking.

3. Cut the cabbage into strips a few inches long, and mix this in to the batter. At this point you could add the other vegetables you're using, or you could save them out if, for example with potatoes, you want them to become crispy by placing them on top.

4. Pre-heat a pan on medium-high, then oil it with a cloth or paper towel (if you're a baby, you can oil it and then heat it, but that isn't the traditional way.) Take enough of the batter to make a large pancake and put it in the pan.

5. Once it looks like the batter has mostly cooked through, flip it over. At this point you could place potatoes or any other topping you want to brown on the now-cooked side.

6. When the other side has browned, flip the okonomiyaki over again to brown the first side, being careful not to lose any toppings you placed there. After just a couple minutes, remove and serve.

Makes ~4-6 pancakes.
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That's it! Top with sauces and aonori and enjoy! If you find that you're having a hard time cooking it all the way through, use less heat or smaller pancakes. Presentation is important here - in traditional okonomiyaki restaurants in Japan, diners sit in front of a hot plate and watch their food cook while drinking a beer. The anticipation adds a lot to the experience, as does the waiters running around and telling you not to touch it until they give you permission, so why not replicate this experience for dinners by using a hotplate or electric griddle? Just make them sign some kind of damage and indemnity waiver first so they don't sue you whent they burn their hands reaching uncontrollably for the food that smells so good in front of them.

Version 2: Negiyaki

This is the same as version 1, but instead of using cabbage, substitute green onion (negi in Japanese) chopped up small. The taste is very different, but also delicious, and green onion cooks faster, so if you are having trouble with your cabbage cooking all the way through before it burns, this recipe is a lot easier to get right.

Version 3: Okonomiyaki Modern Style

I think they're saying "modern style" on their menues; it's hard to be sure, since it's just them sounding out words in English using katakana. Whatever the actual translation, this phrase is used in Kansai to mean okonomiyaki with noodles added in step 5 as the topping you want to brown. Cook spaghetti noodles or soba noodles in the usual way, then put some of them on before you flip the okonomiyaki back over to brown. this crisps the noodles and welds them to the pancake, and is my favorite way to eat okonomiyaki in restaurants. (You might want to add a bit more oil before flipping the okonomiyaki so the noodles don't stick, depending on what kind of pan you're using.)

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Many cultures have savory pancakes (Korean chijimi is quite similar), so I hope this recipe opens your eyes to a whole new way of cooking. It is a good example of "junk food", or "fast food", which is surprisingly good for you.