Directions
Takoyaki
Details
- Prep Time:
30 min - Cook Time:
15 min - Ready Time:
45 min
Servings
Ingredients
Takoyaki Batter:
- 300g / 10.5 oz cake flour (preferred) or all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 4 1/4 cups of ice water, with the cubes strained out before adding to the mix
- 2/3 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. kombu dashi stock granules
- 1/2 tsp. katsuo dashi stock granules
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
The filling:
- 2 cups chopped scallions
- 1 cup chopped pickled ginger
- One cup of tempura scraps
- One cooked octopus leg cut into peanut size pieces making sure to get some of the tentacle for texture
Garnish:
- Japanese bonito flakes
- Pickled ginger
- Chopped scallions
- Japanese mayo
- Okonomiyaki or ‘Bulldog’ sauce, the conventional dipping sauce. You can mix this with mayonnaise for added richness. Sauce taste sweet with a slight floral nutmeg flavor.) You can also use A1 steak sauce and mix it with a bit of mayo there are no rules here experiment!
- Non flavored oil like peanut or canola for cooking
Directions
Step by Step method follow the pictures on flickr in the series if you need illustration.
Heat up the pan before starting.
Oil the little sections (I use a dedicated oiling brush, but you can use a wadded up paper towel or a wad of cotton wool held with chopsticks. Be sure to oil the top of the pan too.)
Pour in the batter – don’t worry if it overflows a bit. You don’t need to fill all the compartments.
If you are just starting out, try about 8 or 10. For some reason, all Japanese takoyaki makers have 18 compartments.)
As soon as the batter is poured, drop in the octopus bits, one per compartment. Now add a handful of the scallions, ginger and tempura bits covering evenly. Now add some more batter to cover the exposed areas of the pan.
When the outsides are sort of dried out, cut through the connected bits (where the batter ran out) and turn them over about 90 degrees with the wooden skewer or takoyaki metal skewer. If you turn them too early the takoyaki will collapse and turn into a sad, ragged lump of goo.
It takes a bit of practice to gauge when to turn the balls over, but you soon get the hang of it.
Turn the balls over all the way after a few min they should turn on their own don’t force them or they will tear and they will be no good.. Keep flipping then round and round with the skewer.
The takoyaki are done with they feel lighter when you poke and turn them with the skewer, and are lightly browned a bit crispy on the outside.
The key is for the takoyaki to be hollow on the inside. This allows the insides to steam, which cooks them nicely while retaining a creamy texture.
Now serve six per person is nice or all on a plate for a party.
Garnish with the bulldog sauce, mayo and more ginger and scallion if you prefer it is really up to you classic would be ginger and bonito flakes.
Once you make these you will never buy them frozen ever again and you will find that take out order by the time it gets to home has lost its luster so this is the way to go.
Enjoy!
Benny
Step by step in photos here >>
About Benny
Passion for healthy amazing food. I am on crusade to get kids eat better and people in general learning how to cook for themselves. If I here that McDonald’s is cheaper than eating homemade I will prove anyone wrong.
