Summer Tomato Okonomiyaki(-ish)

Aug 22, 2023 · in Small Eats

I'd like to preface this recipe with a very clear disclaimer that this okonomiyaki is extremely untraditional (no Japanese yam! No bonito! No dashi!! I know I know I’m sorry!) hence it being called okonomiyaki-ish but I was craving it when I developed this recipe and used what I had so I persisted! Apologies to all the Japanese grandmas and the entirety of Osaka 🥲. I'm clinging onto the summer tomato before it's out of season and wanted to incorporate it into this okonomiyaki. The batter is made with flour, egg, and potato starch that's reminiscent of that perfect fluffy okonomiyaki texture and mixed together with cabbage and sun gold tomatoes for equal parts hearty and tart. Once cooked, this tomato okonomiyaki is begging to be drizzled with a sweet soy and balsamic glaze and some kewpie mayo.

–Frankie
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At a glance

Yield

3-4 okonomiyaki

Time

1 hour

Ingredients

Batter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sweet potato starch (you can use cornstarch as a substitute)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

1/2 cup water

4 cups green cabbage, finely chopped (about 1/4 of a whole cabbage)

5 whole scallions, finely chopped

4 ounces sungold tomatoes cut in half, plus extra for topping (grape tomatoes work as substitute)

Sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Toppings

Kewpie mayo (regular mayonaise works fine too!)

Fresh basil and/or shiso

Sungold tomatoes

Preparation

Make batter

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sweet potato starch, kosher salt, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, chicken bouillon, water, and mix until smooth. Add chopped green cabbage, chopped scallions, and halved sungold tomatoes into the batter, then mix until incorporated.

Cook okonomiyaki

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop around a cups worth of batter and pour it into the pan. As the edges start to spread, use a spatula to gently push in around the edges of the batter to shape into a circle. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Once the bottom has browned, uncover and flip the okonomiyaki, then cover again and cook for another 5 minutes until the other side has browned and it's cooked through. Place the okonomiyaki on a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

Make sauce and assemble

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sesame oil until smooth. Coat a generous layer of the soy sauce mixture onto the okonomiyaki. Finish with a drizzle of kewpie mayo and top extra sungold tomatoes along with fresh basil and/or shiso to serve.

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Batter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sweet potato starch (you can use cornstarch as a substitute)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

1/2 cup water

4 cups green cabbage, finely chopped (about 1/4 of a whole cabbage)

5 whole scallions, finely chopped

4 ounces sungold tomatoes cut in half, plus extra for topping (grape tomatoes work as substitute)

Sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Toppings

Kewpie mayo (regular mayonaise works fine too!)

Fresh basil and/or shiso

Sungold tomatoes