Okonomiyaki Recipe Blog

This page is all about the special ingredients in okonomiyaki recipes — where to get them, what to do if you can’t get them, and what you can use as substitutions.  [Work in progress!!!]

My recommendation is to try to first make an “authentic” okonomiyaki using as many of the “authentic” Japanese ingredients as possible.  And as you run out of ingredients, you’ll have an intuitive sense of what you could use that is more available in your area of the world, rather than constantly importing foreign foods or going out of your way to visit asian supermarkets.

That said, I do have lots of experience with non-standard and standard okonomiyaki recipes alike, so here is my collection of traditional ingredient sources with suggestions for alternatives.

Okonomi-yaki ingredients:

Fish broth (dashi)

In Japan this is such a common ingredient, it’s sold in 100-yen shops (like dollar stores), convenience stores, and of course any grocery store.  It comes as a box of “tea” bags, and you simmer these bags of “fish tea” for about 8 minutes.  The resulting broth is fishy but not salty at all.

You can also get fish broth mix (HonDashi).  It’s a bit like using bouillion cubes, but do follow the written directions.  I prefer the fish tea bags, but this is good to have on hand too.

I don’t know how you’d make this yourself other than actually making fish broth!  That’s an all-day affair, and you’ll be chopping lots of fish heads and tails to do it.  I wouldn’t do that just to have fish broth for okonomiyaki.  Of course, if you really want to do this from scratch, be my guest!

NAGAIMO – mountain yam [Wikipedia] – creates a sticky, frothy goo when you grate it. It’s said to be the secret ingredient in Okonomiyaki batter that creates a light and chewy texture. Very hard to find in the US unless you have a lot of asian markets around you, as we do in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Look for “Chinese yam” or “Japanese mountain yam”.

I’ve been experimenting with using tapioca flour to replace the nagaimo that most recipes call for — stay tuned. ^_^

BENI SHOUGA – pickled ginger – This is an easy one to make yourself!  Here’s my easiest and best recipe for pickled ginger. [COMING SOON.]  And if you don’t like that one, just use Google to search for “beni shouga recipes”.

Authentic toppings:

AONORI – green laver flakes – hard to find, but you can order them relatively cheaply here.

BONITO FLAKES – just buy them.

MAYONNAISE – up to the individual’s preference. Some people can’t stand it, some people couldn’t imagine okonomiyaki without it. Together with “okonomi sauce”, these toppings create a sweet/salty/tangy/rich flavor that often eclipses the okonomiyaki itself, so it is best used with care.

Kewpie mayonnaise – any mayo will do, honestly.  Some people, however, swear that it makes a major difference to use Japan’s #1 brand, Kewpie, for their authentic okonomiyaki experience.

Personally, I think any oily emulsion with a bit of tanginess to it is the perfect match for okonomiyaki.  Here’s my recipe for vegan flax mayonnaise.  You could also try using Wasabi Mayo for a fun way to change it up.

OKONOMI SAUCE – Japanese people in Japan and California alike all say the same thing: there’s no way to make okonomi sauce without committing a whole day in the kitchen.  I’ve never tried it.  Apparently it involves simmering a whole bunch of fruits and veggies, adding soy sauce at particular times, and being born Japanese.

That said, I’ve improvised with some pretty… “interesting”… sets of ingredients to approximate the sweet-and-sour-and-salty-and-meaty flavor and thick-but-not-sticky texture of okonomi sauce.  In a pinch, you can mix together ketchup (I know I know, just bear with me), honey or agave nectar or molasses, a dash of rice vinegar or apple cidar vinegar, a lump of miso OR a dash of tamari, and a tiny bit of water to soak it all together.  It works.

I will find more recipes for okonomi sauce!

Gluten-free Okonomiyaki batter ingredients: