Japanese cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Monjayaki

Tokyo specialty made from a very runny batter that is fried with cabbage on a hot griddle into a sticky, crispy mass.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 60 g flour
• 500 ml dashi
• 300 g white cabbage
• 150 g shrimp
• 150 g squid rings
• 2 scallions
• 1 tbsp red pickled ginger (optional)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp nori flakes
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Finely chop the white cabbage, cut the scallions into rings and cut the shrimp and squid rings into small pieces — for monjayaki everything needs to be smaller than for okonomiyaki.
2. Mix the flour with the dashi, the Worcestershire sauce, the soy sauce, salt and pepper until lump-free; the batter should be as thin as milk.
3. Put the cabbage, scallions, seafood and the red pickled ginger into a bowl and bind only lightly with 4 tbsp of the batter; keep the rest of the batter aside.
4. Heat the oil on a large griddle or in a wide non-stick pan until very hot and fry the vegetable-seafood mixture for 4–5 min., continuously chopping it up with two small spatulas, until the cabbage is soft.
5. Shape the mixture into a ring with a wall, pour the remaining liquid batter into the center and let it bubble for 2 min. until it thickens, then stir everything vigorously together and spread flat.
6. Sizzle for another 3–4 min., until the bottom forms a golden-brown crust, sprinkle with nori flakes and eat directly off the griddle with small spatulas.