okonomiyaki... Lentil as Anything

http://www.lentilasanything.com/

Lentil as Anything is a delightful vegetarian restaurant run as a not-for-profit community organisation. It is staffed primarily by volunteers and supports some amazing projects which you can read about here: http://www.lentilasanything.com/projects.htm

I recently ate there with a couple of girlfriends and had one of the greatest taste experiences of my life so far, no joke.  I highly recommend you venture to one of the Lentil as Anything restaurants, the St Kilda one is particularly charming.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes)

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 1/2 potato, peeled, grated
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups water
• 3 green cabbage leaves, shredded
• 100g bean shoots, trimmed
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 100g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Sauce

• 2 tablespoons thick, sweet Japanese soy sauce
• 1/2 cup thick whole-egg mayonnaise

Method

1. Mix together flour, potato, 1 egg, a pinch of salt and enough water to form a batter the consistency of thickened cream. Add cabbage, bean shoots, green onions and mushrooms.
2. Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Spoon one-quarter of mixture per pancake into frying pan. Cook for 10 minutes.
3. Make a hole in the middle of each pancake and crack an egg into the hole and cook a further 5 minutes.
4. Turn pancake over and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until pancake is cooked through. Keep warm and repeat with remaining pancake batter and eggs.
5. To make sauce: Combine soy sauce and mayonnaise. Serve pancakes with sauce.