Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki) - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What kind of cabbage is best for okonomiyaki? ›

Nappa cabbage has a more prounounced flavor and softer texture while round cabbage has crunchy neutral flavor and texture. But you can throw whatever you want in Okonomiyaki. There is no rule for that, it just ingredients mixed with batter finished with the typical sauce.

Okonomiyaki is healthy!

Because Okonomiyaki is made from various kinds of ingredients, such as eggs, meat and vegetables, it contains much of our daily nutritional requirements.

With 44.68g of net carbs per 100g serving, Okonomiyaki is indeed a high-carb dish.

Nagaimo (Yamaimo)

This is Japanese long yam (nagaimo) and it's the most important ingredient to yield a non-doughy, fluffy okonomiyaki. Grated nagaimo yields a slimy, slippery, thick liquid, akin to lightly beaten egg whites. When cooked, it adds volume to the batter and creates a fluffy okonomiyaki.

This variability is reflected in the dish's name; "okonomi" literally means "to one's liking". The dish is available all over Japan, but is particularly popular in the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka. Okonomiyaki is sometimes translated into English as "as-you-like-it pancake".

However, the purple variety is richer in beneficial plant compounds that have been linked to health benefits, such as stronger bones and a healthier heart. Purple cabbage is also thought to lower inflammation and protect against certain types of cancers.

The simplicity of the recipe and the possibility of enjoying it with family and friends were other commonly named reasons. Often dubbed "Japanese pancake", okonomiyaki is a savory dish traditionally prepared by cooking a mixture of cabbage and wheat flour batter on an iron griddle.

Okonomiyaki Recipe Tips

These come out best when they're made with really thin shreds of cabbage. If your cabbage is too chunky, they won't hold together well, and they'll have a denser, less delicate texture.

The batter is made of flour, grated nagaimo (a long type of yam), dashi or water, eggs, shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (usually thinly sliced pork belly or American bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, konjac, mochi, or cheese.

It's a fairly staple food the originated in the Kansai region. The two most famous versions are Hiroshima (with the noodles) and Osaka (without, and more eggy/pancakey). It's a common enough dinner and lunch option. Having said that, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is a popular festival street-stall food.

Are pancakes healthy carbs? ›

What are the health benefits and drawbacks of pancakes? Pancakes are a good source of riboflavin, calcium, and iron. However, they're relatively low in protein and fibre and high in carbohydrates and sugars.

As delicious as it is, Japanese food has plenty of carbohydrates and fats that can easily scare away the health-conscious types. However, there's more balance to it than you may think.

The best think is to use regular flour, but then also add some yam starch or potato starch or rice flour to make the batter more sticky. See the Alternative Batter Recipes. Okonomi Sauce Substitutes: If you don't have Okonomi sauce on hand you can make your own.

The main difference is in how they are prepared and the relative amounts of each ingredient. In Osaka style okonomiyaki, all of the ingredients are mixed together and cooked together. In Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, all of the ingredients are layered almost like a cake.

If you find it impossible to get your hands on Japanese Mountain Yams (Yamaimo), they can be substituted by White Rice Flour, but then your Okonomiyaki will in fact turn into Korean Pancakes instead. Perhaps just check a normal Okonomiyaki recipe, and if you are gluten intolerant, keep looking for those Mountain Yams.

Savoy Cabbage

Savoy's leaves have a wonderful, waffle-knit texture that makes them visually striking. And that texture gives a slight elasticity, which makes the leaves ideal for dishes like stuffed cabbage or cabbage rolls. We also love savoy sliced in soup, as a green in salads, and of course, in slaws.

Savoy cabbage has gained a certain amount of popularity in Japan over the past ten years.” Cabbage is said to have originated in the Mediterranean region, and became a staple vegetable in Japan along with the spread of Western food after World War II.

capitata f. acuta), also known as cone, sweetheart, hispi or sugarloaf cabbage is an F1 hybrid form of cabbage (Brassica oleracea) with a tapering shape and large delicate leaves varying in colour from yellowish to blue-green. It tastes less pronounced and more delicate than common white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var.

Chinese cabbage is oblong and foot-long, rather than spherical like our familiar Western cabbage. Bok choy is a different variety of Chinese cabbage. Chinese cabbage is much more nutritious than our Western variety.