With a few simple ingredients you probably already have, you can have authentic Japanese at home. Photo / Getty Images
With a few simple ingredients you probably already have, you can have authentic Japanese at home. Photo / Getty Images
In 2022 it seems almost impossible to save money, buy good food and treat yourself all at the same time. Enter Fakeaway Fridays, the Herald's new series where we create fake takeaway (fakeaway) meals that not only are delicious and nutritious but also come in under $15 and serve 2-4 people.
So instead of dropping $50 for a takeaway meal this Friday night, why not try a Fakeaway! It's easier than you may think with our simple tips and tricks and partially made products already hiding on your supermarket shelves.
How to make okonomiyaki at home
My kitchen is never without two essential ingredients: the nutritional powerhouse egg and the humble cabbage. If you have eggs and cabbage on hand, then you have the makings of an easy, delicious and incredibly economical Friday Fakeaway.
Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake. A common street food in Japan, you'll find them in Japanese restaurants around the world, always generously smothered in a zig zag of Japanese mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauces.
The translation of okonomiyaki explains exactly what you're getting here: 'okonomi' = 'whatever you want', and 'yaki' = 'grilled'. The okonomiyaki is the perfect landing pad for all those leftover bits of food you didn't want to waste but now don't know what to do with. A couple of bacon bits? Some leftover chicken? A tablespoon of grated cheese? Some sad-looking spring onion? It's all perfect for this straightforward 30-minute meal.
Ok, there is one other ingredient you'll need if you want to take this to the next level, and that's Japanese mayonnaise. But really, you need to rethink your priorities if you don't keep a steady supply of Kewpie on your condiment shelf.
Basically you're going to make up a batter, fry it like a pancake, and finish it with sauces and toppings.
¼ cabbage, shredded ($2.50) 2 eggs ($1.20 for free range) ½ cup flour or panko crumbs (.50c or $3.50) 1 tsp sea salt Any yummy items in your fridge (leftover prawns, cheese, finely chopped veg, tinned corn, really - anything)
Toppings Japanese mayonnaise ($5.30 for a bottle, or $1 for this portion) Okonomiyaki sauce - this is a sweet and savoury thick sauce. I use kecap manis ($2.19 for a bottle, or .40c for this portion), a sweet Indonesian soy sauce, but you can make your own out of Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and oyster sauce
Optional toppings Bonito flakes Pickled ginger Sesame seeds Spring onion
Total, serves 2: Around $8.50
Method
Mix together all batter ingredients - cabbage, egg, flour/panko, salt and whatever you've raided from the fridge. The mixture will be loose, but the egg will bind it as it cooks.
Heat and grease a frying pan to medium. Use a pan with low sides, to make flipping your okonomiyaki easier.
Tip your batter into the pan. Press it down lightly so your pancake is about 1 inch thick. Don't press it too tightly, as the steam needs to move through the pancake in order for it to cook evenly.
After three minutes, flip it over. I have no tips on doing this well – it's hit or miss in my kitchen. Good luck! And remember, even ugly okonomiyaki are delicious.
When your okonomiyaki batter is cooked through, slide it onto a plate, zig zag your mayonnaise and sauce generously across the whole pancake, add toppings, and serve.
A quick and inauthentic okonomiyaki. Photo / Maggie Wicks
