the wonderfully talented caroline schiff reminded me recently that that frying up sourdough discard on its own makes for a pretty damn tasty pancake. this, of course, had me dreaming of all the savory pancakes i’ve loved in my life and how to recreate them.
okonomiyaki, a japanese savory pancake made predominantly out of cabbage, is one of my favorites. it’s customizable, crisp, chewy, dangerously easy, disproportionately delicious, and very, very, pretty. i think of it as a relatively healthy conduit to eat a bunch of sauces i always want excuses to eat.
cabbage also happens to be one of the heartiest vegetables and lasts forever (at least in quarantine time), so of course i have an unreasonable amount now stocked up in my apt during this pandemic. wishing i could hop on a plane get myself to japan this spring, but this pancake will have to do.
notes
the toppings i’ve listed are mere suggestions. feel to top with whatever you have on hand, and whatever you find delicious. ketchup or kimchi works just as well as sriracha or chili crisp.
maybe cabbage and carrots aren’t your thing. that’s ok. feel free to throw in other vegetables or scallions in you have on hand that have similar texture to substitute (daikon, broccoli stems, etc.) for a non-traditional, but likely still delicious savory pancake.
other additions: for the non-vegetarians, kenji says you also fry it in some pork belly or bacon, and top with dried bonito flakes. for an eggier pancake, add an additional egg and 50 g additional veggies.
i’ve made these the size of a regular pancake or the traditionally larger size, either works. remember that the larger the pancake, the harder it will be to flip!
sourdough discard okonomiyaki
formula
- 160 g cabbage, finely chopped or grated
- 40 g carrots, finely chopped or grated
- 100 g sourdough starter discard
- 8 g soy sauce
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- vegetable or canola oil (for frying)
- kewpie (or another mayo)
- hoison sauce
- nori sesame seed mix
- lao gan ma chili crisp
- sriracha
method
- in large bowl, combine sourdough discard, egg, soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. mix well with fork or whisk until it becomes a batter like consistency.
- add in shredded vegetables. toss until vegetables are coated in batter.
- heat up oil on a skillet on med-high heat. when oil is sizzling hot, spoon in mixture and flatten to form in the shape of a pancake.
- cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown. flip, using a spatula or a lid, and continue cook for another 3-4 minutes, uncovered. okonomiyaki is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
- serve immediately, while warm, on a plate with toppings of your choice. i like to drizzle mayo (preferably kewpie) and hoison sauce, and top with sesame seeds, scallions, and lao gan ma chili crisp.
Hi I’m a sourdough beginner… I never write reviews but my family and I loved this easy and delicious recipe. My sourdough Diva has taking a while to come around but I’m being patient… your discard
Recipes including the Awesome scallion pancakes are keeping the faith.
Plus it cool that I’m your first reviewer 👍🏼😋
Keep on keeping the faith Igor, your sourdough diva will thrive! Thanks so much for those kind words, so happy you loved this recipe as much as I do 🙂
Ridiculously easy to make. Happy that I could use up some of the discard I’ve amassed. Barely can tell you used discard as the base, it wasn’t that noticeably sour. Maybe a hint. I didn’t have enough of the cabbage so I substituted in what I did have, still delicious. I made a hoisin/vegetarian oyster sauce based dipping sauce for it. Thank you for the recipe, I will be putting this into regular rotation. Great way to get those veggies in!
Thank YOU for trying it out and sharing Lisa!
Just made a double of this and wow! I was lamenting not having pickled ginger to top it with but the starter made my pancake so tangy it didn’t even need any. Extra delicious when slathered with chili crisp. Thank you for the brilliant recipe!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing those kind words Rosie! I’m so happy to have another avid chili crisp lover as a reader 🙂
Really good! I used only cabbage and no carrots, and it was delicious!
I just made this, I love it! I made a tasty veggie-filled dinner in no time at all.
It’s a delicious and easy way to use discard 😊 thanks for sharing!
Hi, recipe was awesome awesome awesome. Get to use much of my sourdough discard to make these instead of pizza bases.
Great recipe and genius use of sourdough discard! I also made the sourdough discard kimchee pancakes a few weeks ago and that was also very delicious. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks so much for this awesome discard okonomiyaki recipe! I’ve made it a few times, slightly modified. I fry the shredded purple cabbage and carrot first with hoisin and unagi sauce, then add the egg-discard mixture. Will try it with 5-spice pulled pork next time. Have recommended it to my sourdough baking Asian friends and family with great uptake and reviews. Thanks again!
thank you for writing this lovely recipe! i made it as written over the summer, but today i skipped the egg and instead added a bit of water and sesame oil to thin the rest of the ingredients to a batter-like consistency. it was still very tasty! i’m commenting to share that this recipe can be made vegan. 🙂
I had this voila moment thinking sourdough discard would make a good okonomiyaki. So, I did a google search and was led here to find out someone else was say ahead of me and has perfected the recipe. Thanks so much for this. I used bok choy instead of cabbage because that is what I had, but kept to your weights exactly for everything. Excellent with siracha and yuzu mayo!
i love this journey!! one of my favorite things about this recipe is how adaptable it is to whatever veggies and sauces you have in the fridge. yuzu mayo sounds incredible 🤤