Negiyaki

Step 1: Whisk 3 ½ oz plain flour with ¾ cup dashi and 1 egg until smooth and runny like single cream. Rest it in the fridge for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Step 2: Boil 2 ⅞ oz konnyaku in a small pan of water for 2 minutes to take away its smell, then drain and pat dry.

Step 3: Heat a large frying pan or griddle over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Pour in a quarter of the batter and spread it into a thin 20 cm round.

Step 4: Pile half of 5 ½ oz spring onions over the batter, then scatter over half of 4 oz cooked beef tendon (gyū-suji), half of the konnyaku and a little 2 tbsp tenkasu (tempura crumbs) if using. If you are using raw sliced beef, lay it directly on the batter so it cooks through. Drizzle another quarter of the batter over the top to bind it.

Step 5: Cook for 4 minutes, until the underside is golden and set, then flip with two wide spatulas and press lightly. Common mistake: piling the onion more than 2 cm high; the middle stays raw and the pancake falls apart when you turn it.

Step 6: Crack one of 1 eggs onto the hot plate beside the pancake, break the yolk and spread it to the size of the pancake. Flip the pancake onto the egg and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the egg is fully set and the onion has wilted and turned sweet. Any raw beef should show no pink.

Step 7: Slide onto a board, brush with half of 2 tbsp soy sauce and squeeze over 1 lemon. Make the second pancake with the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil, batter and filling, and serve cut into wedges.

Step 8: Vegetarian version: use kombu-only dashi, leave out the beef tendon and add extra konnyaku or diced fried tofu instead.