Okonomiyaki Chatamari (Nepali × Japanese)

Method

1. Whisk the rice flour and dashi powder with the water, adding it a little at a time, into a smooth, thin batter slightly thicker than milk. Rest for 20 min. The dashi gives the rice crepe the savoury backbone of okonomiyaki.

   Add in this stepRice flour (not glutinous) 120 gInstant dashi powder ½ tspWater 200 ml

2. Shred the cabbage as finely as you can into 2 to 3 cm lengths, slice the spring onions and chop the pickled ginger. Beat the eggs in a bowl and mix in the cabbage, most of the spring onions and the ginger. Cut the pork belly into 5 cm pieces.

   Add in this stepWhite cabbage 120 gSpring onions 1.4Pickled ginger 10 gEggs 2

3. Lay the pork in a single layer in a dry 20 cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook for 4 min, turning once, until golden, crisp at the edges and cooked through. Lift onto a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

   Add in this stepThinly sliced pork belly 100 g

   medium heat

4. Keep the pan on medium heat, brush with a little oil, stir the batter and pour in a ladleful (about 80 ml); swirl it into a thin round and cook for 1 min 30 sec until the surface turns matte. Spread a thin layer of the cabbage-egg mixture over it and lay some pork on top. Turn down to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 5 min, until the egg has set, the cabbage is tender and the base is crisp. Repeat, brushing the pan with oil each time; you will make 4 in total.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 2 tsp

   medium heat→medium-low heat

5. Brush each chatamari with tonkatsu sauce, squeeze over thin zigzags of mayonnaise and scatter with aonori, bonito flakes and the remaining spring onions. Cut into wedges and eat straight away, while the bonito flakes are still dancing.

   Add in this stepTonkatsu (okonomiyaki) sauce 2 tbspMayonnaise 2 tbspBonito flakes (katsuobushi) 2 gAonori (green seaweed flakes) ½ tspSpring onions 0.6