Some days just leave you drained and dragging by six o’clock. The kids will always eat mac ‘n cheese or nuggets, but you are left staring into the cabinets wondering if saltines and hummus can qualify as dinner. This is when you need a back pocket recipe. A recipe that requires little thought, little effort and little time, but yields something you know you like and will leave you satisfied. One of my back pocket recipes is okonomiyaki. The most difficult part of the recipe is the pronunciation. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake and staple street food. It means “how you want it” and it checks off a ton of boxes for what I look for in a weeknight dinner: healthy-ish, quick, easy and satiating. Basically after the cabbage and egg base you can throw in anything to fill it out, so it’s great at the end of the week to use up those little bits and leftovers in the fridge.

I’m sure this bastardization that has become my go-to variation is far, far from authentic, but we love it and it keeps us from settling for take-out or those saltines.

 

I almost hesitate to use measurements in the recipe. This is very flexible, as long as you have enough egg to hold things together, the measurements are really just to taste. Maybe use it the first time you make it, but after that you should be able to throw this together without dirtying more spoons or cups. In addition to shrimp, we’ve also made it with cubed tofu and other veggies, but we like the shrimp best.

Oh and don’t skip the sauce. It’s good and the Greek yogurt makes this simple dinner more filling.