This recipe is an excerpt from the cookbook »Gar es ohne Bares« , which was published in 2022.

In the refrigerator, opened and half-used ingredients are always waiting to be used. And they don't always look completely dewy. Because for almost every dish I want to cook, I have to buy too much in the supermarket: carrots are usually only available in one or two kilo bags, I rarely eat a whole head of cabbage in one day. And how many weeks ago did I open that one can of corn and the bottle of barbecue sauce?

An ingenious dish to use up such leftovers is okonamiyaki. Yaki means "grilled" or "fried" in Japanese, okonomi stands for "at will" or more loosely translated "what you want". This refers to hearty and flexibly composed pancakes with colorful filling. Because of their versatility (you can really use anything in them!) and widespread use, Okonimiyaki are also called "Japanese pizzas" – although they have little to do with pizza.

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Just one thing, perhaps: As with pizza in Italy, there are regional differences when it comes to okonamiyaki in Japan. In Hiroshima style, the chopped ingredients are added to the pancakes, sometimes along with fried noodles. In the area around Osaka, the chopped vegetables are mixed with the still liquid dough and artfully decorated with different colored sauces after frying.

That's how I'm going to do it today. Of course, because I don't have all the original Japanese ingredients – such as dashi broth for the dough or bonito flakes for decorating – I cook an economical economy variant with German discounter goods. Ökonomiyaki, so to speak.

That's what you need for two large portions (makes four pancakes)

For the dough:

  • 200 g flour, e.g. wheat type 405

  • 200 g lukewarm broth, e.g. vegetable or chicken broth

  • 2 eggs (if you want to keep it vegan, use 3-4 tablespoons of chickpea flour or egg substitute)

  • 300-400 g chopped/sliced vegetables and herbs, I take carrots, Chinese cabbage, chives and canned corn

  • 2 white halves of spring onions

  • some oil or butter for frying

For the decoration:

  • 2 tbsp mayo

  • 2 tbsp dark sauce (more on that below)

  • 2 green halves of spring onions

How long does it take? 30 minutes
How much does it cost? My variant is (daily) at 1.60 euros per serving.

That's how easy it is to make okonmiyaki

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, broth, and eggs until smooth. The broth should not be too warm, otherwise it will clump.

Divide the spring onions into fine rings. Set the green parts aside for later, they will remain crisp in cold water. Grate very hard vegetables such as carrots, simply chop the remaining vegetables into bite-sized pieces with a knife.

Mix all vegetables thoroughly with the dough. The mass should now be sticky and not immediately fall apart. Just go by feeling: If it looks too dry, add a little more liquid. If it is too runny, add a little flour. If it looks like farmer's lettuce, you've done everything right.

Heat a pan over medium heat. Fry a quarter of the mixture in a little oil at a time, get heat for about four minutes on each side. In the 70 degree oven, finished specimens remain warm until the rest is cooked through.

Now all you have to do is decide on a sauce combination, decorate the okonmiyaki with it, top with the crunchy green spring onion rings and serve. For more Japanese flair, you can flex with show-off ingredients such as pickled ginger or nori seaweed, but this is optional.

If you can (and want) to eat with chopsticks, divide the okonomiyaki into bite-sized pieces with a large knife and only then spread the sauces on top. Everyone else reaches for a knife and fork. In other words, economics – just as you like. Punched in!

Are you looking for even more dishes that cost little money? Then feel free to follow me on Instagram! If you have any questions, requests, recipe ideas or comments, please send an e-mail to kochenohnekohle@spiegel.de .