Cabbage is a cheap ingredient and makes delicious Japanese pancakes

This vegetable doesn't usually win the popularity contest but it has lots of nutritional benefits, it's cheap and if you think outside the box you can enjoy it without having to resort to boiling it.

The winter vegetable season is in full swing in Maitland, thanks to favourable conditions, and Slow Food Earth Market Maitland chairwoman Amorelle Dempster said life could be more tantalising if you used cabbage to make pancakes.

Now, we're talking savoury pancakes, not sweet, and borrowing a technique used in Japanese Teppanyaki cooking.

Okonomyaki - a Japanese savoury pancake dish - is bound to see that cabbage disappearing and relieve some strain on the weekly budget.

It's a favourite choice for Ms Dempster at breakfast, lunch and even dinner. She said using what you already had to make the toppings was another way to eliminate food waste and save some money.

Related: How to use cabbage to make sauerkraut

Things that have been tried and tested include sliced spring onions, red pickled ginger, spicy barbecue sauce, toasted sesame seeds, Japanese mayonnaise and shredded nori.

"There's so much value with a cabbage and there's so many different ways you can use it in your cooking," she said.

"It's a very common snack food in Japan, the Koreans make a similar one as well. It really is amazing and it's always served with mayonnaise. It's good lunch box food too."

In other news:

Cabbages are selling for $6 at the Slow Food Earth Market in The Levee, Central Maitland, which is held on the first and third Thursday of each month from 8.30am until 1.30pm.

Ms Dempster said a family would be able to make several meals out of one cabbage, while adding some supporting ingredients.

"One cabbage goes a very long way," she said.

"Cabbage and potato curry is another really good cheap meal to make as well, there's so many options."

Ms Dempster said there would be an abundance of cabbage in Maitland this year as favourable conditions were helping winter varieties to thrive.

The following recipe, which serves 4, is simple and easy to follow. More authentic and complex ones can be found online for the advanced cook.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour

50g cornflour

2 free range eggs

375ml water

400g finely shredded cabbage

2 spring onions, finely sliced

Method:

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Add cabbage and spring onions to the batter and stir to combine.

Put 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a medium frying pan and add a quarter of the batter, flattening it to make a pancake. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Keep warm while you make the rest of the pancakes.

Top pancakes with whatever takes your fancy.