Printed July 31, 2026
Charred Vegetable Remnant Okonomiyaki-Style Fritters
That collection of roasted vegetables languishing in your fridge has a destiny beyond reheating. These savory pancakes borrow inspiration from Japanese okonomiyaki while celebrating whatever vegetables yesterday left behind.
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover roasted or cooked vegetables, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup cold water or vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil for cooking
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Thinly sliced cabbage or lettuce for serving (optional)
Preparation
Open any refrigerator mid-week and you'll likely find the same scene: containers of vegetables in various states of leftover-ness. Roasted Brussels sprouts from Sunday. Grilled zucchini from Tuesday. Sautéed peppers from who-knows-when. Separately, they're uninspiring. Together, they're the foundation for something extraordinary.
This recipe is gloriously forgiving. The vegetables can be anything—roasted root vegetables, grilled peppers and onions, sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli—as long as they're relatively dry and not swimming in sauce. If they're a bit oily, even better; it adds flavor.
Making the Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the cold water or stock.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined. The batter should be thick but pourable, similar to pancake batter. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Fold in your chopped leftover vegetables. The mixture should be chunky and vegetable-forward, with the batter acting as a binder rather than the star.
Cooking the Fritters
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil.
- For each fritter, ladle about 1/3 cup of the vegetable mixture onto the hot surface, spreading it gently into a round about 4 inches in diameter.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until the bottom is golden and crispy, then flip carefully and cook another 3-4 minutes on the second side. The fritters should be well-browned and cooked through.
- Transfer to a warm oven while you cook the remaining fritters, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
The Sauce
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, and rice vinegar until smooth. Adjust heat level to your preference.
- Drizzle the sauce over the hot fritters and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve these as a light meal over shredded cabbage, as a side dish, or even as a unique breakfast with a fried egg on top. What makes these special isn't just their crispy edges and tender centers, but the story they tell—a narrative of resourcefulness, of seeing potential where others see leftovers.
