How to make Okonomiyaki sauce

What should I use if I can’t find Okonomiyaki sauce?

No worries! You can easily create your own version using BBQ sauce combined with a few pantry staples to replicate the flavor of okonomiyaki sauce.

A little bit of history of Okonomiyaki sauce

Japanese people began incorporating “Yoshoku,” or Western-inspired dishes, into their diets during the Meiji Restoration. This transformative period followed the Edo era, during which Japan had been isolated from international trade for over 300 years. If you’ve seen Shogun on Disney, you may recall how this isolation shaped Japanese culture. When the Edo period ended, Japan opened its doors to the rest of the world, embracing Western influences, including new cuisines, technologies, and lifestyles.

Among the many introductions was Worcestershire sauce, which quickly gained popularity as a versatile condiment. After World War II, the Otafuku company anticipated the growing demand for Western-style food and sought to adapt Worcestershire sauce to better suit Japanese tastes. In 1950, they introduced their version of the sauce, paving the way for what we now recognize as Otafuku Okonomiyaki sauce—a staple in Japanese households and an essential complement to the beloved savory pancake.