Okonomiyaki Fries

Plain fries are so boring now. Upgrade your french fry game by doing THIS. Inspired by the okonomiyaki dish (japanese savoury pancake), this is a simple side dish that’s packed with flavours. Who knew this could work out?

The first time I tried this dish, it was at a Japanese fusion restaurant in Toronto. It was so good I could NOT stop eating. Then, I realized that you can easily make this at home too. Instead of using the traditional frying method, I decided to make good use of my air fryer (and also make this dish healthy-ish). You can still fry these in the traditional method, it’s totally up to you.

One of the key ingredients that you cannot replace is the Japanese mayo. Regular mayo doesn’t have the same taste because Japanese mayo is made with only egg yolks, and has more of a tangy and sweet taste. My favourite brand is Kewpie’s mayo.

Ingredients

Fries:

• 3 medium sized russet potatoes
• 2.5 tbsp neutral oil
• 1/2 tsp each of salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp okonomiyaki sauce (store bought or homemade see below)
• 2-3 tbsp Kewpie mayo
• 1 tbsp aonori
• 2 tbsp bonito flakes
• Thinly sliced green onion, for garnish

Okonomiyaki Sauce (yields 1/2 cup):

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1.5 tbsp honey

Instructions

Okonomiyaki Sauce:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined. Feel free to adjust to your liking.

Fries:

1. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
2. Peel the potatoes and chop them into sticks, or however you want your fries to be. Place in a large mixing bowl and add in the salt & pepper, garlic powder and oil. Mix it all together until you manage to get each potato stick covered with the mixture.
3. Place in the air fryer basket (I am using instant pot’s instant vortex plus air fryer oven) and air fry for 20 minutes. You can also fry this using the traditional frying method.
4. Drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and mayo. Top with aonori, bonito flakes and sliced green onion. Enjoy!

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!