Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki comes from Osaka, where it is what people eat in the evening after work. The name means something like "grilled as you like it", and that is exactly how it is cooked. In the small restaurants there is a hot plate in the middle of the table and everyone mixes up their own bowl. The base is always the same, though: a great deal of finely shredded white cabbage, a simple batter of flour and egg, and on top a dark, sweet and savoury sauce and mayonnaise.

It is a perfect recipe for November, when fresh white cabbage is everywhere at markets and greengrocers. One small head is enough for four pancakes. The important thing is to shred the cabbage really finely and then cut across it once more so the pieces are short. That way the pancake holds together and you can flip it. Only mix the cabbage into the batter just before frying, or it will start to give off water.

All you need is an ordinary non-stick frying pan with a lid. Over medium heat with the lid on, the cabbage turns soft and sweet inside while the outside gets a golden crust. The sauce is quickly made from ketchup, soy sauce, a little sugar and rice vinegar. You will find Japanese mayonnaise, red pickled ginger and aonori at an Asian grocer. The mayonnaise is a little creamier and tangier than most, but a good ordinary one works too.

In Japan, thin slices of pork belly or bonito flakes often go on top. Here it is cabbage, egg, spring onion and ginger, and that already tastes great. Okonomiyaki make a quick, cheap dinner that everyone enjoys. Pour a cold beer and let everyone brush and top their own pancake at the table.