Today is a good day. I’m rarely happier than when I’m off on a foodie expedition, ice-axe in hand. There’s things I’ve eaten, read about, seen on TV and the like, but the mountain is never really conquered until you’ve truly ‘been there’. Tick.

Okonomiyaki [o-konomi-yaki] is a Japanese savoury pancake. I’ve eaten plenty, but discovering how easy and satisfying it is to make them in your own kitchen is positively joyous.

Here’s the low-down:

Make a pancake batter, fill it with delicious savoury ingredients, cook it slowly and top it with equally delicious and visually attractive garnishes. 

The name derives from ‘okonomi’ which means ‘whatever you like’ and ‘yaki’ meaning ‘grill’. As you may be aware, I’m a big fan of using up leftovers and reducing food waste so this is right up there in the list of go-to/back-pocket dishes.

Although it has regional variations across Japan, generally speaking it’s filled with shredded cabbage, but I’ve used gem lettuce in my version as it’s what I had to hand. It’s your dish – mix it up to your liking, but you’ll have to trust me with the mayonnaise zigzag.. I think it really is essential and brings an additional dimension.

Ingredients: (serves 1)

• 1 large egg
• 50ml stock, cooled
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 1 handful lettuce (or cabbage), shredded
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 2 tsp black sesame seeds or Furikake*
• 1 tsp rapeseed of vegetable oil
• mayonnaise (from a squeezy bottle)
• oyster sauce
• Sriracha chilli sauce

Method:

1. Beat the egg, stock and flour together with a pinch of salt.
2. Mix in the lettuce and some of the spring onion (or ‘whatever you like’).
3. Fry in the oil over a low heat for about 5 minutes on each side until until golden and a little crispy.
4. Top with the obligatory crisscross of sauces and top with the remaining spring onion and your choice of condiments.

*Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made from mixed sesame seeds, Shiso leaves and nori seaweed.