Okonomiyaki is an easy way to get a lot of vegetables.
There are many kinds and preferences, such as Hiroshima style and Kansai style.
There are times when you try to make your own okonomiyaki, but you don’t have okonomiyaki flour.
Oh no! I don’t have any okonomiyaki flour. What should I do…?
When you’re in such a fix, it’s helpful to know what you can substitute for okonomiyaki flour!
So this time, I’ll introduce you to “substitutes for okonomiyaki flour.
If you have any trouble, please refer to this article.
What kind of powder is okonomiyaki flour? Ingredients and tips for choosing substitutes
The ingredients of okonomiyaki flour sold in the market are almost the same.
The amount of ingredients varies a little from manufacturer to manufacturer, but they are mainly made from the following three ingredients.
Main ingredients
- Wheat flour
- Dashi stock (flavor)
- Baking powder
Okonomiyaki flour can be made by mixing the above ingredients.
However, if you don’t have any or all of the above ingredients, you can use a substitute for the flour, soup stock, and baking powder.
Substitutes for flour, dashi (flavor), and baking powder are as follows.
1)Flour substitute
If you don’t have flour, you can substitute any powdery substance.
I will introduce the substitutes in detail later.
2) Dashi (soup stock)
The soup stock will be tasty, but you can omit it since the sauce will be added at the end. If you want to have authentic okonomiyaki, add the following dashi broth.
- Granulated dashi (Japanese style is recommended)
- White dashi
- bonito flakes
- Men-tsuyu (soy sauce)
(3) Substitutes for the puffy stuff
Baking powder is a safe choice for puffiness, but people who don’t make sweets may not be familiar with it. If you don’t have baking powder, you can substitute the following ingredients
- Egg whites (meringue)
- Bread flour
- Dry yeast
If you change the ingredients according to the okonomiyaki you want to make, you can make your own delicious okonomiyaki.
It’s fun to experiment with different combinations!
Recommended Substitutes for Okonomiyaki Flour (9 choices)
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 1: Takoyaki flour
The most suitable substitute for okonomiyaki flour is takoyaki flour.
The ingredients in the powder are almost the same, although the formulations are different.
It’s easy not to have to get all the flour, broth (flavor), and swelling ingredients.
When you actually make it, the taste and texture are very similar. If you don’t tell people you made it with takoyaki flour, they won’t even notice!
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 2: Wheat flour
There is no doubt that flour is used in okonomiyaki flour because it is originally included in okonomiyaki.
However, there are different types of flour. If you don’t usually cook much, you may be confused about which one to choose.
Flour is divided into three types according to the amount of gluten (the source of stickiness) it contains.
- Light-strength flour: Cakes, cookies, tempura flour
- Medium-strength flour: Udon noodles, okonomiyaki, takoyaki
- Strong flour: Bread, Chinese noodles
The more gluten in the flour, the fluffier the texture will be, so if you want a firmer texture, use strong flour; if you want a lighter texture, use light flour.
If in doubt, go for medium-strength flour! You can combine the dashi (flavor) and the puffiness to your liking.
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 3: Tempura flour
Tempura flour is a powder that easily produces a crispy texture.
Three types of tempura flour are available in the market.
- Wheat flour
- Baking powder
- Emulsifier
There is no dashi (flavor) in it at all, so if you are concerned about it, add whatever you like.
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 4: Deep-fried flour
Deep-fried flour can also be used as a substitute for okonomiyaki.
It comes with three kinds of ingredients: flour, soup stock (flavor), and something to make it puff up. It’s easy.
You can make delicious okonomiyaki, but in many cases, the fried flour sold in the market has a strong flavor.
If you are concerned about this, adjust the amount of flour and the amount of sauce.
The texture of the okonomiyaki will be the same as when you use okonomiyaki flour.
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 5: Bread crumbs
As I introduced it as a substitute for baking powder, panko is originally bread, so it can be used as a substitute for two things: flour and fluff.
The texture of okonomiyaki will be fluffy.
However, there is a key to using it.
Before mixing it with cabbage, you need to blanch it with water or milk. Both are recommended to be about body temperature.
If you let it sit for about 10 minutes, the yeast will help the dough to expand.
If you use panko breadcrumbs, they do not contain dashi (soup stock), so add some granulated dashi if you like.
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 6: okara powder
Okara powder is a familiar food to people who are allergic to wheat and health-conscious people.
It has become a common substitute for wheat flour.
It does not require any special tricks and can be used just like okonomiyaki flour.
The okonomiyaki will not have the taste of okara, and the texture will be fluffy.
In the case of okara powder, there is no broth (flavor) and nothing to make it puffy, so you can add more if you like.
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 7: Rice flour
Rice flour is a major food substitute for wheat flour, such as rice flour bread and rice flour noodles.
Of course, it can also be used for okonomiyaki.
Rice flour okonomiyaki flour is also available for baby food and gluten-free use.
When using rice flour at home, add dashi (flavor) and something to make it swell.
For the dashi (flavor), you can use Japanese soup stock to make delicious okonomiyaki.
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 8: Powdered Koya-Tofu
Powdered Koya-Tofu is also a good substitute for okonomiyaki flour.
If you don’t have powdered Koya-Tofu, you can grate regular Koya-Tofu.
The finer you grate it, the easier it will be to mix.
The powdered Koya-Tofu contains baking soda, which also helps to expand the tofu.
Now all you need to do is add dashi (flavor) and it’s perfect.
Your okonomiyaki will have a fluffy texture!
Substitute for okonomiyaki flour 9: Potato starch
Potato starch, which is often leftover, can be used as a substitute for okonomiyaki flour.
It is recommended to use less of it than when using okonomiyaki.
It may be difficult to mix, so you may worry about making it, but it will be delicious.
The texture will be sticky okonomiyaki. If you cook it thinner, the texture will be similar to a pancake with a crispy outside and a chewy inside.
You don’t need to add anything to make it puffy, but it will taste better if you add soup stock (flavor).
What not to use as a substitute for okonomiyaki flour
Almost any powdered material can be used as a substitute for okonomiyaki flour, but some powdered materials are not recommended.
Pancake mix
Many people keep pancake mix on hand, but I do not recommend it as a substitute for okonomiyaki flour.
There are five types of pancake mixes.
- Wheat flour
- Sugar
- baking powder
- Salt
- Flavoring
The ingredients are almost the same as okonomiyaki flour. The problem is the sugar and flavoring.
Commercial pancake mixes are designed to have a sweet taste and aroma, so the taste will inevitably be different from okonomiyaki made with okonomiyaki flour.
Adding more broth (flavor), cheese, ingredients, or more sauce will make it tastier, but be aware that it will be saltier.
The texture is good, fluffy, and filling.
When making okonomiyaki with pancake mix, be aware that it will have a sweet taste.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is a food that you see more often in baking than in cooking.
It is sometimes used as a substitute for potato starch, but it is not recommended as a substitute for okonomiyaki flour.
This is because cornstarch thickens at a lower temperature than potato starch and is difficult to mix into the batter, making it difficult to make okonomiyaki using only cornstarch.
If you must use cornstarch, I recommend adding flour.
When the cornstarch dough is baked, it becomes a chewy crepe, so if you want to make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, you may want to try it.
Conclusion
- Okonomiyaki flour contains three kinds of ingredients: flour, broth (flavor), and something to make it puffy.
- Substitutes for okonomiyaki flour need to be made for each of the three ingredients: flour, soup stock (flavor), and something to make it puff up.
- Depending on the combination of the three types, you can make your own okonomiyaki.
- We recommend the following four substitutes for dashi (flavor). [granulated dashi, white dashi, bonito flakes, men-tsuyu]
- We recommend the following four substitutes for the puffy stuff. [Baking powder, egg whites (meringue), bread flour, dry yeast]
- For the powder part of okonomiyaki flour, we recommend the following 9 substitutes. [Takoyaki flour, wheat flour, tempura flour, fried flour, breadcrumbs, okara powder, rice flour, powdered dried tofu, and potato starch]
- Pancake mix and cornstarch are not good substitutes for okonomiyaki flour.