Green Papaya Okonomiyaki

I have recently started eating green papaya for the first and have fallen in love with it. Green or raw papaya is the unripe fruit of the papaya plant and unlike some, this fruit can be eaten raw.

Green papaya are anti-inflammatory, gut healthy and are used in a variety of different southeast Asian cultures including Indian and Vietnamese cuisines.

Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese street food that is also commonly made at home. There are multiple variations of it and the one I’m sharing today, is a simple egg and cassava based pancake. The base of the pancake is usually made with cabbage and carrots and I’ve decided to add in some green papaya because I thought it would go well with the texture and flavor of the other veggies. I also replaced the carrots with zucchini since it’s what I had on hand and they’re currently in season.

Bacon is also a common addition and can be either fried on top of the pancake or stirred directly into it like I have done here.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups napa cabbage, shredded

• 1 large zucchini or 2 small, finely diced

• 100g or 1.5 cups green papaya, finely diced

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup cassava flour

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp onion powder

• Pinch of salt, to taste

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 lb of Canadian bacon, diced

• 1 tbsp coconut aminos

• 2 tbsp avocado oil (for cooking)

To serve:

• Coconut aminos

• Bonito flakes, Japanese fried tuna flakes

• Mayonnaise

Preparations:

• Add the chopped vegetables to a large bowl and mix them together with your hands.

• Crack in two eggs and add the cassava flour followed by the spices and all the other ingredients except for the oil.

• Mix this together with your hands or a spoon. I like to use my hands as it helps combine everything evenly.

• Heat a skillet with avocado or coconut oil. Once it heats up, reduce flame to a medium/low and add a handful of the batter onto it.

• Cook the pancakes for about 5 minutes on each side, give or take a few minutes. Once they are cooked through, flip them over and cook on the other side.

• Repeat with the remaining batter. Then, remove from the stove and top with bonito flakes, mayo and consume immediately with coconut aminos.

• These will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days.