Fresh shredded vegetables mixed with a simple batter and cooked on a hot griddle. Hmmm, savory pancakes! These make a lovely fortifying vegetarian meal or a fun side dish for that boring Monday night meatloaf. Make plenty of extras for a quick but substantial snack for the rest of the week.
Say Yes! to veggie pancakes
Yes, you need a food processor. A vegetable grater will work or purchase shredded potatoes if you must.
Yes, these are quick and easy.
Yes, you will make them again and again.
On one of the first trips out of the house since restrictions have eased we ventured to the weekend farmer’s market and I bought huge zucchinis. Just like mom used to do.
I made zucchini bread, of course, but after 3 regular sized loaves 5 small loaves and a dozen zucchini muffins, I still had several cups of shredded zucchini left.
Cooking note: shredded zucchini goes a looong way.
When considering what do do with the rest, it occurred to me that Mia has been shredding potatoes for hash browns so why not add the zucchini with the potatoes and make veggie patties?
I am really getting into the challenge of cooking vegetarian. Our family is not completely vegetarian, only my oldest daughter, Mia. She is willing to cook for herself because she realizes no one else follows the same food “rules” as she, but I try to at least to make something for dinner that she can eat and enjoy too. Well, at least 1 thing she can eat and enjoy and thankfully she does not eat all that much.
After reading this far, you may be thinking, Kate must really love squishing things into patties because she writes about it all the time. I look back at my posts and see I have a lot of recipes where I have created some sort of cake, patty or pancake type thing- salmon patty, crab cakes and my all-time favorite croquettes.
The are a number of reasons why I do this so often. Mainly, patties are easy and quick, you just form a mixture of the key ingredients and shape it into a patty. I mean, anyone can do that.
The versatility factor is another great reason to love patties. You can make just about anything into a patty. For a quick meal, put the patties on a bun and use your hands or on a plate with a side salad for a more formal meal. And every patty loves condiments and that makes Ken happy and I aim to please!
Who would have thought potatoes and zucchini could be so amazing?
These are the ultimate griddle cakes; Ideal for preparing on stove in a frying pan, or a hot griddle set right up at the table for a family and guests. This is a popular way of eating in many Asian countries, think Benihana or any Korean BBQ restaurant.
Ken really loved these veggie pancakes because they reminded him of okonomiyaki, a favorite lunch growing up in Japan. Okonomiyaki may be made using a simple flour and batter like my potato & zucchini cakes, or perhaps using the more popular and more filling version, which includes noodles and cabbage as the base, called “Hiroshima style”.
Once you have the batter really anything goes as far as garnish and toppings.
These “As you like it” pancakes are wonderful because you determine the size of your snack or meal and you have total control of what goes inside. You make them to satisfy your unique taste. Add shrimp or scallops and herbs or, maybe you prefer ham and shredded cheese with a little chopped green onion.
Make your veggie pancake as- you- like- it
Our very simple vegetable version was delicious. Once we added sauce and garnish they were perfect. When it comes to sauce and the garnish the same “anything goes” attitude is true. There is actual okonomiyaki sauce but we were out so I used Bulldog sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise. Your choice of sauce depends on the garnish and toppings you choose of toppings.
Ken topped his veggie pancake with shredded seaweed and loved it!
There is no right or wrong ingredient for these pancakes.
Here are a few non-vegetarian garnish suggestions:
- shrimp, raw or cooked
- crumbled sausage
- ham
- bacon
Topping suggestions:
- parsley
- basil
- seaweed, shredded or crumbled
- pickled ginger, slivered
Sauce suggestion:
- Bulldog sauce
- Mayo
- Ketchup
- Okonomiyaki sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Lemon
Don’t worry about a thing, this is one area of cooking where you cannot go wrong. I would love for you to give this simple veggie pancake a try and tell me how YOU like it. Be sure to send me picture of yours on my Soybasil Facebook Page or in the comment section below.
Items for your grocery list:
Shredded Potato & Zucchini Pancake
- June 28, 2020
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Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato ( 2 cups)
- 1 medium zucchini (1 cup)
- 1/4 c white onion, thinly sliced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 c breadcrumbs
- 2-3 T flour
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Step 1
- Use a food processor to shred first the potato (leave skin on) then the zucchini
- Step 2
- In medium bowl combine the vegetables and use clean dish towel or paper towel to squeeze excess water from the veggie shreds. Add onion and eggs and stir well to coat
- Step 3
- Add breadcrumbs and flour and mix batter well to combine
- Step 4
- Heat oil in large sauté pan to medium high then add about 3/4 cup batter or smaller depending on your preference and size of griddle/pan. Pancake will be about 6 inch diameter
- Step 5
- Cook 2- 3 minutes to brown one side then use spatula to flip and brown the other side 2-3 minutes. Serve and top with your favorite condiments
