Main Course

Pepperoni Okonomiyaki

a recipe with Cheftofer

November 17, 2016

Once upon a sunny Saturday morning, my friend Alfred Dicioco contacted me, asking me if I wanted his huge bag of pepperoni. As I gazed out at the bright sunny Saturday, I realized that what’s better than going out to enjoy the bright sunny day is to STAY IN to mix up a new recipe with pepperoni and take photos to make the most use out of the beautiful sunlight. (pats myself on the back*)

So I quickly drove out to Alfred’s to pick up my free, giant ass bag of pepperoni slices and invited Cheftofer over to help me come up with this recipe. As you might’ve heard, I’ve been collaborating with Cheftofer (follow him on instagram here) in creating some dessert recipes for his fancy schmancy dinner gigs like popcultivate. Chris is this chill stud / mad-scientist featured on Foodnetwork’s Cutthroat who I really enjoy cooking alongside. Aside from him being a talented chef, ladies – he’s single too ( think!) I give this man full credit for helping me cook the rest of the batches and holding my reflectors while I mainly styled and photographed.

So, what is this okonomiyaki? (oko-noh-mi-yaki) Okonomiyaki literally means “grilled as you like it” in Japanese..Some people refer to it as a Japanese pizza, probably because it looks like a pie, the ingredients/flavors/toppings are limitless, and it’s perfectly shareable! But traditionally, it’s this Japanese pancake that is most popularly served in two ways: Osaka and Tokyo style (sort of like New York style and Chicago style pizza) But hey! Here’s the chefcharette style: Okonomiyaki with pepperoni, shiso leaves, drizzled with a creamy pesto mayonnaise sauce.

Lastly – exciting news. I’m flying back to Japan with 5 other studly architects 11/25-12/05! Follow up with our adventures by following me and my instagram stories!

Ingredients

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Ready In

25 minutes

Serving Size

4-6

1 Cup Okonomiyaki flour
2/3 Cups Water
2 Large eggs
200 g or 2 Cups Cabbage
Tenkasu / tempura bits (optional)
Pepperoni
1 Garlic clove
1 tsp Pesto
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

Directions

Step 1.

Wash and finely slice cabbage and shiso leaves.

Step 2.

Mince some garlic and cut the pepperoni slices and shiso leaves into fine strips.

Step 3.

Mix 1 C all-purpose (or okonomiyaki flour), 2/3 C water into a large bowl. If the batter is too thick, slowly pour more water in. Crack open 2 eggs and mix in the minced garlic and cabbage.

Step 4.

Spray or pour some oil in a fry pan until the pan. Once the pan is hot, Spoon the batter in the center of the pan and slightly turn the pan in a clockwise motion until the batter becomes about 9″ in diameter. Place the thinly sliced pepperoni on top and save desired amount if you’d like to garnish.

Step 5.

Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Flip, then cook this side for another 3-5 minutes. When cooked thoroughly, remove from pan by bringing a plate and flipping it onto the plate. Repeat the process for the remaining batter and make about 2-3 more okonomiyaki.