Okonomiyaki — a plant-based Other recipe by BOSH!
Jump to recipeMore Dinner recipes →

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is one of those dishes we genuinely get excited about making on a weeknight. It's a Japanese savoury pancake that's crispy on the outside, soft and packed with veg on the inside, and absolutely loaded with flavour from the kimchi and cheese. The combination of tangy kimchi, melty vegan cheese and crunchy shredded cabbage in a light batter is just brilliant, and the sauce on top takes it somewhere really special. If you've never made it before, trust us on this one, it's going to become a regular in your rotation.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Large bowl
  • Small bowl
  • Frying pan
  • Grater
  • Fine shredder or sharp knife for cabbage

Ingredients

  • 120g plain flour
  • 60g flour - rice
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 220ml water
  • 200g large savoy cabbage
  • 150g kimchi
  • 2 tbsp - kimchi juice
  • 2 spring onions
  • 75g plant-based cheese
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp plant-based Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • plant-based mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 red chilli
  • pickled ginger - optional
  • nori sheet - optional

Method

1

Prep the veg

  • Trim and finely shred the cabbage
  • Finely slice the spring onions
  • Grate the cheese
  • Finely slice the chilli for topping
2

Make the batter

  • Place the plain flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
  • Pour in the water mixing to combine
  • Add the cabbage, spring onion, cheese and kimchi with juice into the bowl
  • Mix everything together to coat
3

Make the sauce

  • Place the ketchup, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix to combine
4

Cook the pancake

  • Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat with half the oil
  • Add half the batter, pressing down to flatten
  • Cook for a few minutes until golden brown and crispy, then flip over and cook the other side
  • Transfer to a plate then repeat with the remaining oil and batter
  • You should have two large pancakes
5

Assemble and serve

  • Spread the sauce over the pancakes, squeeze over the mayo and sprinkle with sesame seeds
  • Garnish with the spring onion, red chilli and your choice of toppings

Tips & Variations

  • Get the heat right: We find medium heat works best here. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through. Give it a few minutes on each side and don't rush the flip.
  • Kimchi swap: If you can't get hold of kimchi, finely sliced pickled cabbage or even sauerkraut works really well and gives you a similar tangy kick.
  • Make it your own: We love adding a handful of sweetcorn or some thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms into the batter for extra texture. Ian in particular cannot stop throwing mushrooms into everything.

Why This Works

The trick here is using a mix of plain flour and rice flour, because the rice flour gives you that slightly crispy, light texture that makes a proper okonomiyaki so satisfying. What really makes this sing though is adding the kimchi juice into the batter itself, not just the kimchi. That little move packs in so much extra flavour and gives the whole thing a gentle tang that balances everything perfectly.