Bacon Okonomiyaki

1.
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 325 DEGREES
2.
BATTER
Peel and grate the sweet potato on the largest holes of a box grater into a large (ideally) glass bowl.

Into the bowl, whisk eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil and water. Gradually add the flour, salt, and baking soda, folding as you go, until its incorporated.

Let the batter rest in the fridge for 10 minutes (and up to 2 hours) or so while you prep the rest for cooking.

3.
CABBAGE
Shred or chop the head of cabbage. Aim for very thin slices and chop them to make them no longer than 2” long.

Dice the scallions, both green and white parts. Set aside about ¼ to ½ cup of scallions for garnish and add the rest to the cabbage. (If you prefer the scallions cooked rather than raw, you can add them all to the cabbage instead.)

4.
SAUCES
Use two small bowls.

In the first bowl - whisk the mayo and sriracha if using. Zest the lime into it and then squeeze in the juice. Whisk to combine. It will be thin and tangy.

In the second bowl - whisk together the sugar, oyster sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.

5.
BATTER - LAST STEP
Remove the batter from the fridge and fold in the cabbage/scallion mixture about ⅓ at a time. Doing it gradually will better coat it with the egg mixture.

6.
COOK
Set out one or two heavy flat skillets on the stove top. Heat over medium high and add 1 Tablespoon of oil.

Use a ½ cup measure to scoop batter into the center of the pan, and let it sit about 30 seconds. Then, you can use the back of the measure to pat down the pancake so it has a flat top and a nice circle has formed. Cook for 3 minutes.

7.
BACON
While the first side is cooking, place 1-2 strips of bacon on the top side. You can fold in in a V shape as you lay it down so you have a zig zag pattern covering the top, but not too much bacon overlapping.

After 3 minutes, carefully, flip the pancake over. Gently pat it down if needed. Cook for another 4 minutes on the second side or until the bacon is nice and crispy.

Transfer to a wire rack in the oven.

Repeat until the batter is done. You should get between 4-6 pancakes.

8.
SERVING
Serve a pancake on the center of the plate. Drizzle with both sauces (traditionally, this fun cross hatching is made), sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with a heaping pile of scallions.

They taste amazing hot and also at room temperature. Leftovers heat up beautifully in a toaster over and make a fabulous breakfast.