Hello
How are you everyone?
Do you know Takoyaki?
If you visit to Japan, especially the Kansai area and cities such as Osaka, and you might see it.
Takoyaki is golf ball sized balls of batter with octopus, spring onion, red ginger. Shops will often add other ingredients to make their Takoyaki different from the others. You will be surprised find different tastes, textures, or ingredients.
This recipe, of course you can use a Takoyaki maker, or Japanese Tamagoyaki non-stick fry pan, but this time I’m using something most people have, a Sandwich press.
Yes, the shape is different but the taste is the same and you don’t have to use or buy a special machine.
What is Takoyaki
It is a dish believed to have originated in Osaka. It is made of flour dough, filled with octopus and condiments, and baked into a spherical shape about 3-5 cm in diameter.
History
Takoyaki was invented by Tomekichi Endo, the founder of Aizuya in Nishinari-ku, Osaka, in 1935.
Takoyaki was made with soy sauce flavoured batter and was not eaten with sauce. It is said that it was not until after the war, when tonkatsu sauce like BBQ sauce were introduced, that sauces were added, around the 1950s. Incidentally, “Aizuya” still sells “Takoyaki”, a lightly seasoned dough that can be picked up without sauce, in keeping with the taste of the original establishment.
Takoyaki is street and soul food in Osaka.
About Ingredients
Takoyaki Flour– You can buy this at Asian or Japanese supermarkets.
Takoyaki flour includes Dashi powder, sugar, salt, wheat etc. Each maker has a different recipe. Mine is 100g of Takoyaki flour, 300ml of water and 1 egg. Just add water and egg, mix, then done. Easy to use and quick.
Takoyaki Sauce– You can buy at Asian or Japanese supermarkets.
I’m using Otafuku Takoyaki sauce, but you can use Tonkatsu sauce, Okonomiyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, Obento Tonkatsu sauce (from Coles), or Bulldog BBQ sauce.
Mayonnaise– I’m using a Japanese one. You can use any one you like.
Red pickled ginger – You can buy at Asian supermarkets
You don’t have to use this but using red ginger makes Takoyaki taste exceptionally different, or you can use sushi ginger pickled.
Konbu Dashi powder– You can buy at Asian supermarkets
You’ll need this product if you are using plain flour to make Takoyaki batter.
Frozen taro– You can buy at Asian supermarkets, or you can buy fresh Taro at vegetable markets. You’ll need this as well if you are using plain flour for making Takoyaki batter. Using taro, your Takoyaki batter will be nice and fluffy.
Octopus– Frozen or Fresh.
You can use squid or prawn if you don’t like octopus or if you can’t get any.
Tenkasu– make tempura batter and drip the batter with chop sticks or a fork into hot oil and deep fry until golden colour. I make a lot them and make small portions. I put them into Ziplock bags and then freeze them. You can use for making Okonomiyaki, toppings for Udon noodle with soup, salad topping etc. If you don’t want to make them, you can use fried onion which is you can buy at supermarkets.
Bonito flakes– this is for topping when finished, but you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. You can buy them at Asian supermarkets
Takoyaki makers– you can buy on eBay, or at Dick Smith, Kogan, Amazon, or Bunnings if you want to get one.
Tips for making Takoyaki
• When you make Takoyaki batter, put wet ingredients in first and add dry ingredients so your batter doesn’t get rumps.
• Grate taro, I tried putting taro into a blender but didn’t get good results. It didn’t make my batter fluffy.
• When you use Takoyaki flour, each company has different recipes so before making the batter, check your Takoyaki flour.
• Cool down Dashi stock before adding it to the plain flour when making Takoyaki batter.
• When oiling the sandwich press, oil both sides.
• When you put the lid of the sandwich press down, check edge of the batter if it’s firm put it down carefully without any pressure.
When to eat Takoyaki
In japan, sometimes we do Takoyaki parties when a bunch of people gather, cook Takoyaki, drink beer, and have fun. Just like a BBQ here in Australia.
Using sandwich press to make Takoyaki
Equipment
- 1 Sandwich press
Ingredients
For Tenkasu
- 1 cup Tempura flour
- 1 each Egg
- 1 cup Water
For using Takoyaki flour
- 100 g Takoyaki flour
- 1 each Egg
- 300 ml Water
For using plain flour
- 100 g Plain flour
- 2 g Baking powder
- 300 ml Water
- 5 g Konbu dashi powder
- 100 g Frozen taro
- 1 each Egg
For Takoyaki
- 250 g Octopus Or prawn or squid
- 30 g Spring onion
- 20 g Red pickled ginger
- 30 g Tenkasu Or fried onion 25g
- Takoyaki sauce Or BBQ sauce, bulldog sauce, tonkatsu sauce
- JP mayonnaise
- Bonito freke For garnish
- 1 tbsp Oil
Instructions
Making Tenkasu
- Add egg and water into a bowl and mix well. Add tempura flour then mix well.
- Drip the tempura batter into hot oil and deep fry Tenkasu until golden colour. Scoop them out and put them on a tray.
Making Takoyaki batter (using Takoyaki flour)
- Add egg and water into a bowl and mix well. Then add Takoyaki flour and again mix well.
Making Takoyaki batter (using plain flour)
- Pour hot water in jug, add Konbu dashi powder, mix well, then let it cool down. This is Dashi stock.
- Grate Taro with grater.
- Add baking powder into the 100g of plain flour.
- Crack an egg into a bowl, add the dashi stock, and mix well.
- Add the grated taro and mix well.
- Add the plain flour mix and mix well. This is Takoyaki batter.
Prep for Takoyaki Ingredients
- Boil water, add octopus and cook until a light pink colour.
- Strain and rinse the octopus then let it cool down.
- In the meantime, chop the spring onion and red ginger pickles.
- Chop the octopus into small pieces.
- Heat the sandwich press.
- Wipe oil on both surfaces of the sandwich press using kitchen paper.
- Pour a little more than half of the Takoyaki batter on the sandwich press.
- Add the octopus, spring onion, red ginger pickles and Tenkasu or fried onion to the Takoyaki batter.
- Pour rest of the batter on top of all the ingredients.
- Check the edges of the mix and if they are firm, put the lid down but don’t press on it.
- Cook for 2-3mins and raise the lid (if not quite cooked, cook more 1 min at a time).
- Cut into whatever shapes you like, I cut into 4 this time.
- Place the Takoyaki on plate and top with Takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes or whatever you like.
- Itadakimasu!
Video
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