Takoyaki
Takoyaki was created in 1935 in Osaka, by a street vendor who was experimenting with a traditional pan used for an older beef dish, replacing it with pieces of octopus — an abundant, cheap ingredient at the nearby port — and giving rise to a completely new recipe that quickly became the city's gastronomic symbol. Osaka has remained the heart of Japanese street food culture ever since, and takoyaki is sold from trucks and mobile stalls on every corner, eaten straight from the box with a toothpick. What separates a successful takoyaki from an ordinary version comes down to a few technical details: the batter has to be runny enough to flow on its own into the gap left by turning, or the balls end up flattened on one side; repeated rotation, every 1-2 minutes, distributes the heat evenly and forms that thin, crisp crust over the whole surface of the sphere; and the balls are served immediately, while the inside is still semi-liquid and hot, the texture that sets them apart from a simple fried bun.
A special pan with round indentations
Without it, the batter can't be rolled into a perfect ball
Boiled octopus, cut into small chunks
Stays firm but tender inside the soft batter ball
Balls are turned with a thin skewer
The batter flows over the unfilled edge and forms a sphere
Pickled ginger and spring onion in the batter
Adds freshness that contrasts with the sweet-savoury sauce
Ingredients 4 servings
- 150g flour
- 1 large egg
- 300ml dashi (or water with a little soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 200g boiled octopus, cut into small chunks
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp red pickled ginger, chopped
- Oil for greasing the pan
- Takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, bonito flakes and nori powder, to serve
How to make it
- 1PREPARE THE BATTER: mix the flour with the egg, dashi and soy sauce in a bowl until you get a thin, lump-free batter, similar to a runny pancake mix.
- 2HEAT THE PAN: grease the special round-indentation pan well with oil and heat it over medium-high heat.
- 3POUR THE BATTER: pour batter into each indentation until full, then immediately add a few pieces of octopus, spring onion and pickled ginger into each.
- 4LET THE CRUST FORM: don't move the balls for 2-3 minutes, until the edges set and can be easily lifted off the pan.
- 5FLIP AND ROUND OFF: using a skewer or a long toothpick, cut the edge of each ball and rotate it 90 degrees, letting the runny batter inside flow into the gap left behind.
- 6KEEP ROTATING: continue rotating each ball every 1-2 minutes, until it's fully round and golden on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total.
- 7SERVE: transfer the hot balls onto a plate, drizzle with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise, sprinkle with bonito flakes (which move from the heat) and nori powder, then serve immediately.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
