A Vegetable Pancake For Kids Who Hate Vegetables (but love pancakes)
In our house we call this The Pokko, both in honor of the titular character of a fun children’s book we love, but also because okonomiyaki, the japanese savory pancake on which this recipe is based, is rather hard for a toddler to pronounce. No matter what you call it, though, know that this is a keeper: full of vegetables but texturally and taste-wise closer to a fritter or fry bread than anything, you know, healthy; it comes together in less than 20 minutes. Cut into small pieces, your child can pop these like chips or crackers; sauced up, your child will swear these are fries or tots.
- 1/4 Green Cabbage (See “Adapt” sections for alternatives)
- 2 carrots
- 2 Green Onions (scallions)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- Ketchup
- Hoisin Sauce
- Miso Paste or Soy Sauce
- Mayo
- Vegetable prep first: Peel the carrots and remove outer layers of the cabbage, cutting off the portion you need. Separate the green and white parts of your onions,
- Vegetable prep, Part II: dice the green part of the onion into small pieces and set aside; cut the white part into chunks. Cut the carrots and cabbage into the smallest portions you can/your child will tolerate. (Highly recommend using a blender or food processor for this.)
- Make the batter next: in a large bowl, beat the eggs until smooth; then add the flour, baking powder, cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt and blend until smooth.
- Fold in the vegetables and mix until everything is combined.
- Heat oil in a pan over Medium Heat. When hot, pour in egg-veggie mixture into the center of the pan, spreading out so it forms an even layer across. (Do NOT cover the whole pan!)
Cook for three minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown. Add a bit of oil the top and then flip the pancake over, cooking until the other side is brown, roughly 2-2.5 minutes. (If you’re struggling to flip it, take it out of the pan and place on a plate; swirl some oil in the pan and then put the pancake back in the pan by flipping the plate over.) Remove from heat.
- While the pancake cools and/or you cook the next batch, make the sauce by adding two squeezes each of ketchup and hoisin sauce, plus a small spoonful of miso or small splash of soy; mix together.
Okonomiyaki is typically sauced before serving, with alternating squiggles of ketchup-soy and mayo all over the top. You can do the same, especially if your child needs some visual appeal to try new foods, but focus your attention on how you get it into your kid’s: cut the pancakes into small triangles or squares, and either spread a smear each of the ketchup-hoisin and mayo on the top of each piece, or serve a dollop of each on the side.
For the lazy and/or clever, the obvious hack for what is essentially a pancake of vegetable shards is hiding in plain sight in the refrigerated section of your grocery store’s produce aisle: use a pre-cut slaw mix, be it classic coleslaw or an Asian one; or even a salad kit! You can switch out the sauces as well, including just using your child’s favorite condiments; if nothing else, a splash of soy will be plenty.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
