Okonomi-Latke
Updated Jan. 4, 2021
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3 to 4large russet potatoes
- Kosher salt
- 2cups all-purpose flour
- ½cup rice flour
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- 2½cups dashi, at room temperature (see Tip)
- 1quart tightly packed, finely sliced green cabbage (about one small head)
- 1medium onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1quart bean sprouts, green caps removed
- Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crème fraîche, for serving
- Thinly sliced scallions, for serving
- 1lemon, for squeezing
- Ikura (salmon roe) or other caviar, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Blanch the potatoes: Bring 4 quarts water and ¼ cup salt to a boil. Grate the potatoes, then add them immediately to the boiling water after grating. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes until just tenderized. Strain the grated potatoes and spread them on kitchen towels or paper towels to dry.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, baking soda and 1½ tablespoons salt. Add the dashi and whisk just until smooth (do not overmix). The batter may be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.
- Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, blanched potatoes and batter. Mix well, then set aside.
- Step 4
Place a 6- or 8-inch nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil and heat until almost smoking. Slowly spoon about ¼ of the batter into the pan, and flatten it with the back of a spoon until no more than 1 inch thick. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until the underside starts to crisp and the center to bubble, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the okonomi-latke, add another tablespoon of oil, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 5
Once the okonomi-latke is browned on the second side, transfer from the heat onto a paper towel to drain some of the oil. Repeat with the remaining batter to cook three more okonomi-latkes. (Feel free to play with size on these, whether you'd like to create two large okonomi-latkes or a platter of smaller ones.) Season cooked okonomi-latkes lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Cut into quarters, and top with crème fraîche, scallions, a squeeze of lemon juice and ikura.
- Dashi is not kosher, but you can substitute a 50-50 mixture of vegetable broth and water, if preferred.
Private Notes
Comments
They do sell dashi base in bottles in most Asian supermarkets, but if you think of it as basically a fish broth it is easily replaced. Chicken stock would probably work.
But if you are near an Asian supermarket, and want to try, you can buy either konbu or bonito flakes easily. You take a handful of flakes or 6-8 inches of konbu, and let it sit in cold water for an hour--that's dashi. Overnight is even better, but not necessary.
Great idea for some ikura I was gifted. Ignore the directions to pour all the batter into a 6-8 inch pan. This makes at least three 10 inch "latkes"--or many smaller ones. They need to be on the thin side or the batter won't cook properly. I didn't have any sprouts and I can't imagine why anyone would remove the ends of a quart of sprouts. I shredded the cabbage but I think thin slices would have added a bit more texture
Recipe made approximately a dozen .25-.5 thick, 8-inch wide latkes. I wouldn't make them anything thicker than that, as they won't cook through that well and end up a big soggy. Flavor was nice--I think you could definitely play with the type of veggies in the mix--I imagine julienned carrots might be nice as well. Instead of serving with creme fraiche, lemon, and ikura, I made a dipping sauce with rice vinegar, soy sauce, and scallions.
I lived in Japan a long time ago, and ate and loved loved Okonomiyaki, so I laughed pretty hard when I was this recipe! (Most Japanese I know can't say Okonomi-Latke!🤣) These were a big hit at our Hannukah party this year! My only problem was too much moisture, so the middles stayed a bit soggy. Next time I'm going to try again with less broth (I used vegetable broth, not dashi) and I'm thinking about using basan (gram flour or chickpea flour), which ought to be crispier.
Anyone try this in the oven instead of frying in the pan. Wondering if I could do a broil and flip? I know, I know. It’s Hanukkah, use the oil, but wondering if it would work.
We subbed some beautiful fresh mustard greens for the cabbage and capers for roe. Served it with salmon cakes. Very satisfying. My partner kept asking if there was egg or something else making it so rich and creamy. I think it’s the rice flour doing that work. Delicious.