Takoyaki

Name: Takoyaki
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H30M
Total time: PT0D0H30M
Yield: makes 28 takoyaki balls
Ingredients: ¾ cups all-purpose flour; ¼ cups cake flour; ½ tsp. baking powder; 2 large eggs; ⅔ cups dashi*; Toasted sesame oil, for brushing; ½ cups (2½ oz.) finely chopped cooked octopus; 2 tbsp. finely chopped onions; Takoyaki sauce, such as Otafuku brand; Kewpie-brand Japanese mayonnaise; Pickled red ginger, julienned; Bonito flakes

Umami-rich, with a tender, toro toro texture, these snackable octopus cakes are Japan’s perfect on-the-go snack.

Serves
makes 28 takoyaki balls
Time
30 minutes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA PUGLIESE; FOOD STYLING BY JASON SCHREIBER; PROP STYLING BY ELVIS MAYNARD

By Caroline Caron-Phelps

Updated on January 19, 2022

Writer and recipe developer Caroline Caron-Phelps of Pickled Plum likes to snack on takoyaki—pillowy soft, bite-sized octopus cakes which are sold throughout Japan by tiny specialized takoyaki shops as well as yatais (street vendors), highway truck stops, supermarkets, and convenience stores. The ingredients for her home version—including the irresistibly tangy-sweet takoyaki sauce—can all be sourced from your local Japanese market. Inexpensive electric takoyaki makers can be ordered online from Amazon. Look for cooked octopus at your local fishmonger, or substitute drained, canned octopus.

Featured in “In Japanese, Onomatopoeic Words Describe Diverse Food Textures.”

Ingredients

For the takoyaki:

¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cups cake flour
½ tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
⅔ cups dashi*
Toasted sesame oil, for brushing
½ cups (2½ oz.) finely chopped cooked octopus
2 tbsp. finely chopped onions

For topping:

Takoyaki sauce, such as Otafuku brand
Kewpie-brand Japanese mayonnaise
Pickled red ginger, julienned
Bonito flakes

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Instructions

Step 1

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, eggs, and dashi.

Step 2

Plug the takoyaki maker and turn it on. Brush the molds and the top surface lightly with sesame oil. In a small bowl mix together the octopus and the onions and set aside.

Step 3

When the takoyaki maker is hot, pour a little batter into each mold until they are ¾ of the way full. Place a pinch of the octopus-onion mixture in the center of each mold, then add a little more batter to each one to cover the filling. (It’s okay if a little batter spills over.) Cook until the underside of the takoyaki balls are golden brown, 3–4 minutes. Using a skewer, carefully flip each ball over and continue cooking until the balls are uniformly golden brown and their insides are cooked but soft, 1–2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the batter has been used.