We’re exited to welcome Pancake Day this week, on Tuesday 4th March. Historically, Pancake Day (or Shrove Tuesday) has marked the beginning of Lent and it was used as a day to indulge in the foods that one might be giving up for the Lent season. We see it as a good time to spring clean the veggie draw and get cooking with some of the season’s best veg. So here’s a recipe for Japanese vegetable pancakes from Smitten Kitchen – a great dish to kick off an evening of pancake eating.
Yield: 4 large or 12 small pancakes
Ingredients: Pancakes
1/2 small head cabbage, very thinly sliced (1 pound or 5 to 6 cups shreds)
4 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
5 kale or stir fry leaves, stems removed, leaves cut into thin ribbons
4 spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Oil for frying
Ingredients: Okonomiyaki Sauce
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (note: this is not vegetarian)
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine or sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey (use 2 if you like a sweeter sauce)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions: Pancakes
Toss cabbage, carrot, kale, spring onions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat that too.
To make a large pancake, add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch pancake. Gently press the pancake down flat. Cook until the edges begin to brown (about 3 minutes). 30 seconds to 1 minute later, flip the pancake with a large spatula. (If this is terrifying, you can first slide the pancake onto a plate, and, using potholders, reverse it back into the hot skillet). Cook on the other side until the edges brown, and then again up to a minute more (you can peek to make sure the color is right underneath).
To make small pancakes, you can use tongs but I seriously find using my fingers and grabbing little piles, letting a little batter drip back into the bowl, and depositing them in piles on the skillet easier, to form 3 to 4 pancakes. Press down gently with a spatula to they flatten slightly, but no need to spread them much. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.
Regardless of pancake size, you can keep them warm on a tray in the oven at 200 to 250 degrees until needed.
Directions: Okonomiyaki Sauce
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and thick.
Serve pancakes with sauce and any of the other fixings listed above, from Japanese mayo to scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Good to know: Extra pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple days, or can be spread on a tray in the freezer until frozen, then combined in a freezer bag to be stored until needed. Reheat on a baking sheet in a hot oven until crisp again.
