Recipe: Homemade Takoyaki

Takoyaki is one of my favorite snacks when I want to eat something light, hot and savory. I particularly go to local Japanese restaurants to get as close to the authentic ones in Osaka. Since my family also loves devouring this

tiny delectable spheres, i finally decided to get a small decent takoyaki pan and make some at home. One of my go to websites for Japanese recipes is at justonecookbook.com. She has numerous Japanese recipes that we love that are practical, easy and doable at home.  Ingredients are not a problem either if you’re living in Cebu.  I usually get them At Machiya Mart in Banilad where they also repack them in small quantities for household use. 

I tweaked this recipe a little  to fit in what’s available locally and I also find the batter recipe too thick. Every homecook knows that there are factors that affects its viscosity like the brand or quality of flour used or its moisture content, so adjust the liquid accordingly. I find thin batters are easier to handle. My kids also remarked that they detected a slight baking powder taste so I reduced the amount of baking powder from the original recipe.

Some tips I’d like to share from my initial cooking blunders 😁:

• Use chopsticks to turn the balls, it’s easier than fork. 
• Have a pair of tongs ready if you don’t know how to use chopsticks to pick them up. Poking them doesn’t help. 
• Cook in medium heat so the middle part cooks evenly without the outer part getting burnt. 
• Keep the pan well oiled and evenly hot so it won’t stick. 
• Batters are best placed in containers with narrow spouts for easier pouring inside those holes. 
• Have all the ingredients at hand and nearby as it cooks quickly. 

This recipe makes about a whopping three dozen of 3cm sized balls! Think about the cost, just a few pesos for each ball. 😁Penny pinching mode me. 😁

Osaka ones cost about ¥100 to ¥150 per 3 balls yet you’d shell out for these authentic ones, of course. 

INGREDIENTS

Filling: 

• 1 big stalk green onions/ scallions, sliced thinly
• 1 Tbsp red picked ginger of Beni Shoga (Machiya Mart)
• 120 grams cooked octopus, sliced in small cubes (Landers)
• 1/4 cup frozen mixed veggies(peas, carrots corn, squeezed and drained)
• ⅓ cup Tenkasu (Machiya Mart) or in my case I just used panko or Japanese breadcrumbs. 

Batter: 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup katsuoboshi/ bonito flakes, powdered in food processor or just de-flake with fingers (Machiya Mart)
• 1 tsp kikkoman soy sauce (it makes a taste difference if you use an ordinary soy sauce)
• 1-3/4 cup dashi (I used dashi granules dissolved in water, Instructions are in the pack, also in Machiya Mart)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Cooking oil for the pan

Topping:

• Takoyaki Sauce (Machiya Mart or my homemade recipe below)
• Kewpie mayonnaise (Machiya Mart)
• Furikake (Machiya Mart)
• Katsuoboshi / bonito flakes (Machiya Mart)
• Nori shreded into strips

Homemade takoyaki sauce:

Mix everything 

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• Water to adjust consistency like syrup. 

Procedure:

I tend to go shortcut with the procedure but it works for me. 

1. Mix and toss lightly the ingredients for the filling. Set aside. 
2. For the batter, mix together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, beaten eggs, katsuoboshi, soy sauce, dashi and cooking oil. Consistently should be like for the crepe batter. Add dashi stock if too thick. Store in a container with a narrow spout, in my case, a plastic squeezable ketchup bottle. 
3. Heat the takoyaki pan until hot and drizzle oil over it but not too much. 
4. Pour batter into the holes until it’s almost full. 
5. Fill in with the tossed fillings making sure each ball has its share of the octopus and the veggies. Batter should overflow at this stage but don’t worry we can tuck the excess batter later on. 
6. Wait for it to cook in medium heat about 2 minutes. Then try push one side of the ball using one chopstick, this should slide to 90 degrees easily. Tuck in the excess batter in the remaining empty hole and fill the rest with the batter. 
7. Turn again after a few minutes and fill in with more batter until you complete the ball shape. You can turn the balls now and check them if they’re done and browned evenly. 
8. You can pick them up and transfer the ball to another hole that is hot enough if your pan has cool spots. 
9. To assemble, place the cooked takoyaki on a plate, drizzle with the okonomiyaki sauce, then the mayonnaise and top with the furikake, katsuoboshi and shredded nori. 

You can refer to the original recipe by Just One Cookbook here