- Low carb
- Nut free
- Freezer friendly
- Makes 10
Okonomiyaki is the Japanese savoury pancake that’s mostly cabbage and has opinions about sauce. This one swaps the flour for flaxseed meal, edamame and peas, and folds in halloumi for the salty bit. Fifteen minutes of prep, then you fry it in batches. Drizzle with tonkatsu sauce, mayo and shichimi togarashi. Make a lot and freeze the extras for future-you.
Can I manage this today?
- Effort: More Spoons
- Prep: 15 minutes, plus 10 minutes soaking (no hands needed)
- Cooking: about 15–20 minutes of frying in batches. Around 35 minutes start to finish.
- Chopping: finely shredding the wombok and the spring onion. Bagged shredded cabbage skips it.
- Washing up: bowl, jug, food processor, grater and frying pan.
- Attention: constant while frying. Prep is forgiving.
- Freezer: yes, for up to 3 months (see Storage below)
Kerry’s notes
Okonomiyaki usually means flour and a lot of fussing. This one skips the flour. The edamame and peas get blitzed into a paste, and that paste, the eggs and the flaxseed meal hold the cabbage together.
It’s a More Spoons recipe because of the batches, not because it’s hard. You’ll be at the pan for a while. Make the batter, fry what fits, and leave the rest in the bowl until its turn.
If standing that long is the hard part, pull up a stool. Eat the first few while the rest cook.
The sauces come out of bottles. Nobody’s checking.
What’s that ingredient?
- Shelled edamame: young soybeans out of the pod. Found in some supermarket freezers or Asian grocers.
- Wombok: Chinese cabbage, the long pale one. Bagged shredded cabbage works as a swap.
- Flaxseed meal: ground linseed. Stands in for flour here.
- Halloumi: a firm, salty cheese that holds its shape when it’s fried.
- Tonkatsu sauce: a thick, sweet-savoury Japanese sauce. Asian supermarkets stock it, or use our Keto Tonkatsu Sauce.
- Kewpie mayo: Japanese mayonnaise, richer than the usual. Regular mayo works.
- Shichimi togarashi: Japanese chilli spice blend. Some supermarkets have it, or make our Shichimi Togarashi Spice Blend.
Why this recipe works
- Cabbage, eggs and edamame hold it together, so there’s no flour.
- One bowl for the batter, one pan for the cooking.
- It’s a batch recipe. Cook once, freeze the rest.
- Sauce and toppings come from jars and bottles. That’s fine.
Ingredients at a glance
Mostly cabbage, eggs, frozen edamame and peas, halloumi and a bit of flaxseed meal. Sauces and spice blend to serve. Full list is in the recipe card.
No Spoon Swaps
- Bagged shredded cabbage instead of shredding wombok. Chop it finer with a knife if the strands are long.
- Pre-grated halloumi if your supermarket has it, otherwise grate from the block.
- Pre-sliced spring onion or snip it with kitchen scissors.
- Bottled tonkatsu sauce and regular or Kewpie mayo from the shelf.
- Shichimi togarashi from a jar, or skip it.
Dietary swaps and allergens
- Vegetarian: not claimed. Halloumi and stock labels vary, so check yours for animal rennet and animal products.
- Nut free: per the live tags.
- Contains: egg, soy (edamame, soy sauce), dairy (halloumi), and the mayo and sauces. Tonkatsu sauce and mayo can contain other allergens, so read the labels.
- Gluten free: not claimed. Soy sauce and tonkatsu sauce often contain wheat, so check the labels if you need it.
Equipment
Large bowl, jug, food processor, grater, sharp knife, oven-proof frying pan, kettle.
Storage, freezing and reheating
- Fridge: cool within 2 hours, then keep at 5°C or below. Eat within 3 days.
- Freezer: freeze within 2 hours of cooking, for up to 3 months. Layer baking paper between pancakes so they don’t stick.
- Reheat: thaw in the fridge and eat within 24 hours, or microwave from frozen. Reheat once only, until steaming hot all the way through. Add 10 seconds at a time if it isn’t. Don’t refreeze.
Soy and edamame
Edamame are young soybeans, so this recipe contains soy. So does the soy sauce in the batter. If you avoid soy, this one isn’t for you.
FAQs
- Can I use regular mayo? Yes. Kewpie is richer, that’s all.
- Where do I find shelled edamame? Frozen aisle at some supermarkets, or Asian grocers.
- Is it really low carb? The live card says 3 g carbs per serve. Leigh has confirmed the figures on the card.
Fry a batch, eat a few and freeze the rest. On a day when cooking isn’t happening, future-you can reheat a couple and add the sauces. Dinner done, with nobody chopping anything.
Okonomiyaki (Edamame & Halloumi Japanese-style Pancake)
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Jug
- Food Processor
- Grater
- Sharp Knife
- Oven-proof frying pan
- Kettle
Ingredients
- 100 g Shelled Edamame Beans See notes
- 1 Cup Cooked Peas
- ½ Cup Flaxseed Meal
- 3 Egg (Large)
- ½ tsp. Baking Powder
- ¾ Cup Vegetable Broth or Stock
- 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 3 Cups Wombok
- ½ Cup Grated Halloumi Cheese
- 50 g Spring Onion (Scallion)
- 4 Tbsp. Avocado Oil
- Tonkatsu Sauce See notes
- Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise* See notes
- Shichimi Togarashi Spice Mix See notes
Instructions
- Put the edamame and peas in a heatproof bowl.
- Pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Drain well.
- Blitz in the food processor to a thick paste.
- Finely shred the wombok (3 cups).
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, flaxseed meal, baking powder, stock and soy sauce until smooth.
- Fold in the wombok, halloumi, edamame paste and spring onion.
- Heat about 1 tbsp of the avocado oil in the frying pan over medium heat.
- Spoon ¼ cup of batter into the pan. Add as many as fit without touching.
- Cook 2–3 minutes, until the underside is golden. Flip.
- Cook another 2–3 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- Move to a plate. Add more oil and repeat until the batter is gone (10 pancakes).
- Drizzle with tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi.
- Serve straight away.
Notes
Nutrition
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