Sesame Carrot-Cabbage Pancake

 The recipe is loosely based on a savory Japanese pancake called Okonomiyaki, but I've added a lot of the same flavors that go into phad thai. It's almost like a frittata, but less eggy.The result is a delicious and surprisingly complex combination of flavors! I serve it either with pan-fried shrimp or alone as a light lunch, side or snack. 

It's a fantastic to-go recipe for those nights when you want to put as little thought and energy into cooking as possible. It comes together in less than 20 minutes and you probably already have everything you need for it. I can't be the only one who almost always has a head of cabbage and some carrots hanging out in my fridge. I buy them once and a month later they are still there, waiting to be used. Plus it's one of those recipes that you can dress up or down. There are tons of extras you can add to make it fancy (sesame seeds, peanuts, cilantro, etc.), but its just as good when you keep things simple.

All you have to do is sautee the veggies with some soy sauce, chili flakes and garlic. When I want to go all out, I toss in a little fish sauce, dried shrimp and picked ginger for an added kick. Then pour whisked eggs into the pan, quickly stir to combine and cook it like a frittata! It's fast as could be!

 Added bonus: You can feel good about eating this! Cabbage is a low-fat, low-calorie, fiber-rich food, which contains calcium (bone health), magnesium and potassium (prevent muscle cramping/maintain excitability of nerves and muscles), vitamin C (boost immune system/growth and repair of cells) as well as the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin (eye health). But what cabbage is really known for in the nutrition world is its cancer-fighting properties. The phytochemicals called indoles in cabbage influence estrogen metabolism in a way that helps reduce the risk of cancer. They also contains lots of dithiolethiones, isothiocynates and sulforaphane that help disarm free-radicals and fight cancer.

 

The carrots are pulling their weight too. Like cabbage, they are excellent for your eyes thanks to the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and a few others you might have heard of like beta-carotene and alphacarotene. High intake of the carotenoids are associated with a decrease of up to 50 percent in a number of different cancers. Read more here.

 

Sesame Carrot-Cabbage Pancake
Servings: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

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Coconut oil

3 cups shredded or chopped cabbage
3 cups shredded carrots
1-1 spring onions, chopped (opional)
3 T. soy sauce
1 clove garlic
3 T. fish sauce (optional)
2 T. pickled ginger, finely chopped (optional)
2 T. dried shrimp, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes (to taste) *can be subsituted with 1 T. sriracha or 1/8 tsp. cayenne
5 large eggs
1 T. water

Garnish:
Sesame seeds
Chopped peanuts
Lime wedges
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Chopped cilantro

Directions:

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1. Bring a medium or large non-stick skillet to medium heat. Add 2 T. of oil, cabbage and carrots and saute until they are tender and begin to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add spring onions, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, pickled ginger, dried shrimp and red chili flakes. Saute 1-2 until combined. Turn off heat and remove pan from hot burner.
3. While the veggies are cooling, whisk together eggs and water in a medium-sized bowl.
4. Pour eggs over the veggies and quickly combine with spatula so that mixture covers everything.
5. Pat down into one large pancake, add additional oil around the sides of the pancake and cook on to medium heat for 4 minutes or until the pancake starts to hold together.
6. Flip using a large spatula OR (my preferred method) use a spatula to quarter pancake and flip individual units and cook for additional 3-4 minutes, or until it begins to brown.
7. Serve warm and garnish with sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, fresh cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt.