Japanese Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki) with Sweet & Tangy Sauce

This recipe is something from way back in March, when we were using up the last of the winter cabbages, and digging up the last of the leeks. No more leeks now until around September, but cabbage is just starting to come on, and we have tons of peas and garlic scapes. One of the exciting things about cooking on a farm is working with seasonal ingredients, so here's a favorite cabbage recipe, adapted for two different times of the year.

Pancake recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Makes 3 pancakes

pancakes:
1/2 cup white rice flour
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
oil to fry

veggies late winter/early spring:
1.5 cups cabbage, shredded
1 cup leeks, halved and diced
1/4 cup carrots, grated

veggies early summer:
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup snow peas, cut into horizontal strips
1/4 cup garlic scapes, minced
1/4 cup carrots, grated

sauce:
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Ketchup
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1/4 cup Brown sugar
1 tbsp Mustard powder
Pepper to taste

To make the sauce, combine worchestershire sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce in a small saucepan until simmering. Add brown sugar and mustard powder and stir until dissolved. Cook for 5-10 minutes until reduced by 1/3 or until you get the yummy thick consistency of teriyaki or barbeque sauce. Resist the urge to take a spoonful and let your sauce cool while you start your pancakes.

Finely shred cabbage. If using carrots, peel, then grate on a large-size cheese grater. If using leeks, cut green tops and bottom roots of leeks and cut remaining white section down the center. Wash well to get rid of any grit that might be stuck way down in there. Slice the washed leeks into half-moons. If using scapes and peas, dice both into slices 1/4'' wide. Mix cabbage, carrots and other vegetables together in a bowl.

Add rice flour, salt and pepper and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and water together. Pour the egg over the veggies and stir well to coat. The mixture will not seem batter like -- it will be more like veggies coated in flour. This is okay.

Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. When hot, scoop 1/3 of the mixture into the center of the pan. Use your spoon or fork to flatten out batter. It's best if the batter reaches all the way to the sides of the pan, this helps the pancake keep its shape as it's cooking. Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side; turn over by placing a large plate on top of the pan and flipping over. Return the pancake to the pan, other side up and fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and serve piping hot, drizzled with sauce.

Garlic scapes and snow peas substitute for leeks in the summer version of this crispy cabbage pancake

Using rice flour instead of wheat flour makes for a crispier, lighter pancake and a gluten-free dinner option