Garlic Scape Okonomiyaki from Chef Scott Mazer

By Scott Mazer

​​I wrote this recipe when I was doing the keto diet, for an entire month, and wanted to enjoy one of my favorite Japanese dishes. A lot of Keto recipes I found used cream cheese or mozzarella as a binder and I wanted to try something different. So I adapted this recipe to be both gluten free and low carb. It can easily be changed to be vegan as well.

While remaking this recipe in mid summer I wanted to incorporate some seasonal vegetable and had some garlic scapes and a whole napa cabbage in the fridge. So was born the garlic scape Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki in Japanese roughly translates to "grilled as you like it" meaning this recipe can have many different ingredients and variations.

There are some ingredients that will likely have to be purchased at your local Asian grocer or online. These can also be left out and it will still be delicious. If you don't like fish flavor you can substitute chicken or vegetable stock for the dashi and definitely leave out the katsuobushi. I realized after deciding to write this recipe out that it is the second savory pancake recipe I have published. Okonomiyaki is a different beast. With colorful toppings and lots of different sauce options this can be a meal all on it's own and a lovely one at that.
Most of the recipes I've seen just call for plain old green cabbage. This can certainly be used, but for me it's not Okonomiyaki if it's not napa cabbage. I have no cultural or historical basis for this, I simply love napa cabbage and think it's texture works best for this dish.

If you want to make this recipe truly Keto, use sugar free BBQ sauce (G Hughes is pretty darn good) instead of the Okonomiyaki sauce. I have included the Okonomiyaki sauce because most people are not doing a Ketogenic diet. You might also be able to find it pre-made while your picking up your other ingredients at the Asian grocery store.

Pancake
1 cup blanched almond flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¾ cup flax meal
¾ cup dashi (I used a dashi packet from the Asian grocery store)
4 large eggs
¼ cup pickled ginger (preferably red)
1 head napa cabbage
1 bunch garlic scapes
Cooking oil (avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, vegetable ect.)

Okonomiyaki Sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
¼ cup ketchup
3 ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Toppings
Kewpie mayo
katsuobushi (fish flakes)
aonori, Nori or any dried seaweed really
scallions
pickled red ginger
sriracha
sesame seeds

Equipment
mixing bowl
whisk
2 silicone spatulas
non-stick pan

Technique

1. Combine the almond flour, salt, baking powder in a large mixing bowl
2. Measure the ½ cup of flax meal and place in a small bowl. Add water and let sit until the mixture becomes gooey like overcooked oatmeal consistency. This will imitate the nagaimo or mountain yam texture which is traditionally used in this recipe. Add this and your dashi or stock to the mixture.
3. Mix until combined and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.
4. While the batter is resting make your okonomiyaki sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until combined and sugar dissolves.
5. Grab your napa cabbage, cut in half to expose the core and cut out the core. Finely chop the cabbage and set aside.
6. Take your garlic scapes and chop into 3-4inch pieces, sauté in your non-stick pan until they begin to wilt and the outside looks a bit wrinkly. Garlic scapes can be fibrous and cooking them ahead of time will ensure their tenderness when the okonomiyaki is done.
7. Remove the batter from the fridge and add the pickled ginger and eggs. Mix until combined.
8. Add the cabbage to the batter in batches, folding into the batter as you go.
9. Heat your nonstick pan on medium heat and add about 1 Tbsp oil. When pan is hot and oil is shimmering, add about ¼ of the batter to the pan, shape into a circle.
10. Gently press the garlic scapes into the pancake. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
11. Once the okonomiyaki is nicely browned use your 2 spatulas to carefully flip it. If it falls apart that's ok you can push it back together and it will be fine. Cook for another 5 minutes, covered.
12. Flip one last time exposing your beautifully browned pancake and garlic scapes. Cook uncovered for 2 minutes. It should look something like this:

13. Transfer to a plate, brush with okonomiyaki sauce. Add other toppings as desired, a zigzag of kewpie mayo and sriracha always looks nice. Some katsuobushi and nori adds that authentic Japanese flavor. A little scallion for some fresh greenies. Use whatever you like, the dish is called "as you like it" after al! You can think of this as a delicious little canvas for your culinary art.

Notes:

• If you would like to make this recipe vegan you can add more hydrated flax meal instead of egg.
• Use whatever you want if garlic scapes are not available. Pork belly is the traditional topping. Mushrooms would work great here use your imagination!