Okonomiyaki Ingredients & Substitutes

Don't worry if you don't have all the special ingredients listed in the main recipe! You can make a variety of substitutions and still have an amazing dish.  See below the main recipe for a variety of substitutes for the batter ingredients. 

Okonomiyaki Flour:
There are a wide variety of Okonomiyaki flours available.  Each has a different level and type of seasoning. Below are a few pictures of the various packaging - all of these are exported from Japan to US and other countries.  The most traditional preparation would not even use Okonomiyaki flour at all, but would take regular wheat flour and add fresh grated Nagaimo or Yamaimo (Japanese mountain yam) to get the sticky glutinous texture that holds everything together.  These modern flours incorporate yam flour in their mix along with other seasonings, usually shrimp and scallop but also bonito and sometimes MSG.  You can purchase Okonomiyaki Flour or a complete Okonomiyaki Kit in the Shop area.

Nisshin

Nisshin (Tappuri Gu Iri)

Nisshin (Gu Irorio)

Nagatanien


Nagatanien

Nagatanien (Yamaimo Ojisan)

Nagatanien (Gomoku Ten)

Nagatanien (Ebi-Ika)



Nippn (Ebi-Hotate)

Nippn (Ebi-Hotate Fumi)Nippn (Katsuo-Kombu Fumi)Nippn (Ko)


Showa

Showa (Naniwa)Showa
Showa



MarutomoNippnHakubaku

Otafuku


Okumoto (Ko "Ski")

Okumoto (Yamaimo Iri)Okumoto (Yamaimo Iri "Ski")
                                                                  
Okonomi Sauce & Japanese Mayonnaise:
There are a variety of Okonomi sauces available, and the tastes are quite distinctly different.
   
Otafuku

Otafuku

Otafuku (Half Calorie)

Kagome

Sennari

Sennari (Hiroshima)

 Bulldog

Bulldog Honkaku

 
HagurumaKewpie Mayo
Kewpie Mayo (low calorie) 

Other Ingredients:
    
 Tenkasu (Tempura Bits)

 Tenkasu (Tempura Bits)
 Tenkasu (Ika Flavor)
Chinese Sausage
  
  
  Pickled Ginger (optional)

 Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes) Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes) 
    
  Yama Imo - Mountain Yam Otafuku Okonomiyaki Kit Serving and Cooking Turners 


Ingredient Substitutes:

Okonomiyaki Flour Substitutes: If you don't have Okonomiyaki Flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour.  The best think is to use regular flour, but then also add some yam starch or potato starch or rice flour to make the batter more sticky.  See the Alternative Batter Recipes.

Okonomi Sauce Substitutes: If you don't have Okonomi sauce on hand you can make your own. 

Easy Okonomi Sauce Recipe:
Mix 3 tbs of ketchup, with 1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, with 1 tsp of Soy Sauce.

Japanese Mayonnaise Substitutes:
Kewpie, the most popular Japanese Mayo has a slightly different taste than regular Mayonnaise, but of course you can substitute any mayonnaise in it's place and still have a good result.

Egg Substitutes:
You can use egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters, perfectly well in Okonomiyaki - It just makes it healthier by having less fat and cholesterol - but delivers an excellent result and you will not be able to tell the difference.

Tenkasu Substitutes: You can use Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs) instead of Tenkasu or even Rice Crispies cereal.

Aonori (Seaweed Flakes) and Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes):
Hey, it will still taste great without these - just leave them out if you don't have any.