Hi Eileen, Takoyaki batter is almost always made using dashi, but that's not necessarily the case for okonomiyaki. You're certainly welcome to use dashi in place of the water if you like though.

In reply to Marc Matsumoto.

Why is there no dashi in this recipe? I always make dashi from kombu and shiitake, which I thought is vegan?

Hi Bob, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Great idea using hijiki and grated carrots.

Made it yesterday with vegan egg and potato flour. It was wonderful. Will do again today with hijiki and grated carrot

Otafuku’s Okonomiyaki sauce is vegan. You can also make your own pretty easily!

I added a bit more flour and it was very well cooked. Also finished it in the oven. I guess you have to experiement.

Francisco, this dish is supposed to be gooey on the inside.

Hi Dana, Otafuku's (aka Otajoy) okonomiyaki sauce for the US market is plant-based https://www.otajoy.com/collections/small-sauces/products/okonomi-sauce-17-6oz

Hi Francisco, one of the reasons why we add Yamaimo to okonomiyaki in Japan is to give it a slightly gooey texture (it's called mochi-mochi in Japanese, which means mochi-like). If you want a dryer fluffier okonomiyaki that's more like a western pancake, you may need to add some baking powder to give it some lift (or if you are not vegan, you can just add egg). I hope that helps!