Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancakes)

(recipe from Food52.com)

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sriracha, more or less to taste

Pancakes:
5 large eggs
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
3/4 cup (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
oil for frying
1-2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Whisk the first set of ingredients together and voila, your sauce.  Set aside while you make the pancakes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt.  Gradually add the flour until incorporated.  Fold in the cabbage, scallions, and shrimp.

Warm a couple glugs of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until glistening.  Ladle the batter into the skillet as you would for regular old pancakes.  I usually make them about the size of a saucer.  Cook on each side for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Keep pancakes covered in a warm oven as you make the rest.  Scatter sesame seeds on top of pancakes and serve with dipping sauce.

(So yummy!  Kind of a pain to make.  The batter is runny, but I made my pancakes a bit smaller and babysat them a little, wielding a spatula to corral the runny batter in the pan.  They set pretty quickly, and I got into a rhythm.  Also, I mixed the sesame seeds right into the batter.  I ate a few warm, and the rest cold from the fridge, dipped in the spicy sauce.  Yum!)

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

(recipe from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

7 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
butter
maple syrup

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl.  Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it's okay to leave the texture a bit uneven.  Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture, once again, being careful not to overmix.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time.  Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve in a stack, topped with a pat of butter and a cascade of maple syrup.

(Again, not vegan: I wanted to use up the sour cream and butter remaining from my peach tart on a new recipe...  A bit of a treat for myself in the morning!  I didn't have enough sour cream, but swapped in some coconut milk to make up the difference, to no ill effect.  These are odd, eggy pancakes, but pancakes nonetheless, and delicious.  I also added a few tablespoons of wheat germ that I wanted to get rid of, making them a bit toothy.)

Makes 12 4-inch pancakes, 8 5-inch pancakes, or so.