Otafuku Okinomi Sauce comes in a squeeze bottle packaged in a plastic bag

Japan’s Otafuku Sauce Co., Ltd.’s Okonomi sauce has become my go-to condiment for pretty much everything.  It is particularly good drizzled on pan-fried vegetable or pork gyoza and with this sauce on board you don’t need a dipping sauce.

Okonomi sauce is part of the culinary family of “brown sauces” that includes HP Sauce, HP Fruity Sauce, Daddies Sauce, Takoyaki sauce, Bulldog Tonkatsu sauce and Worcestershire sauce, which may be the ur brown sauce.  Like all the “brown sauces” Okonomi sauce brings the umami, salty, tangy and sweet fruit flavors and is most similar to HP Fruity Sauce.  It is the heavier fruit profile that makes it an excellent accompaniment to pork dumplings.

Otofuku Okonomi sauce is made from vinegar, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (a source of MSG), apple juice, onions, tomato paste, yeast extract, spices, carrots, apple puree, prune paste, apricot puree, and dried sardine extract.  If you don’t have access to an Asian food market you can make a close approximation at home by mixing 3 tablespoons of ketchup, with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and one tablespoon of soy sauce.  To make a vegan version use Annie’s Organic Worcestershire Sauce.