Takoyaki is something that basically everyone who has traveled in Japan has encountered. They're sold as snack meals everywhere and are always served steaming hot with dancing flakes of katsuobushi on top. Tako means octopus, so there's no relation to Mexican food here. They can be made in endless variations, but here we're using "the original" recipe from Osaka.
What you need is:
1 frying pan for "æbleskiver" or a Japanese takoyaki pan
1 pack of Takoyaki Ko - 200 gr makes roughly 40 pcs and 500 gr makes roughly 100 pcs. We use a pack of 200 gr here.
1 small octopus, or just 1-2 legs, according to what you like. Can be substituted with other ingredients to taste.
4 eggs
Finely chopped spring onions in the amount you like
Kenko Mayonnaise
Otafuku Takoyaki Sauce
Kibun Chikuwa Takebue, thawed
Konnyaku Kuro
Katsuobushi
Aosa
First, boil the octopus for 3-4 minutes in lightly salted water:
Now its ready:
Dice a suitable amount of octopus legs, chikuwa, konnyaku, and spring onions, and place everything in bowls:
Crack the eggs in a large bowl:
Whip them well until they are foamy:
Add the flour mix and whip until there are no lumps:
Prepare the frying pan by wiping all the holes with rapeseed oil:
Heat it up to medium heat and pour the liquid dough in the holes, so it almost reach the edges:
Then add all 4 fillings to taste:
Let the balls fry until they have become firmer at the bottom - it's important that they don't fry at too high heat, as they will then get burnt. When they are firm in the lower part, use a meat pin or bamboo skewer to grab them through the bottom and flip them onto their sides:
When they have fried a little on the side, flip them all the way upside down:
Turn them frequently, until they are golden on all sides:
Place them on a suitable plate and dress takoyaki sauce, stripes of mayonnaise, a small handful of katsuobushi, and sprinkle with aosa. Serve one portion at a time, as they should be enjoyed steaming hot. Enjoy!
A small tip - it's considerably easier if you have a non-stick pan, but then you need to only use a bamboo skewer and not a meat pin to flip the balls. And, if you love takoyaki but think they're a bit too difficult to make, then you can cheat and pour all the ingredients into a regular frying pan, let the mix solidify at medium heat, and then use a spatula to divide everything into smaller bits, flip them around and fry until done. It won't look as good, but will still taste amazing! And, as mentioned, all the ingredients can be varied, you can make kids versions with ham and cheew, or you can use shrimp or many other great things.
