Japanese cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Takoyaki

Crispy batter balls filled with octopus and ginger, golden outside and creamy inside, topped with sauce and bonito flakes.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 150g flour
• 500ml dashi
• 2 eggs
• 300g cooked octopus
• 4 spring onions
• 3 tbsp red pickled ginger (beni shoga)
• 4 tbsp okonomiyaki sauce
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 10g bonito flakes
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, eggs, dashi, soy sauce, and salt into a very thin batter – it should run off the ladle like cream – and let it rest for 20 minutes.
2. Cut the octopus into 1cm cubes, slice the spring onions into fine rings, and finely chop the red pickled ginger.
3. Brush the wells of a takoyaki pan generously with oil and heat until a drop of batter sizzles instantly.
4. Fill the wells to the brim with batter – it's fine if it overflows – drop an octopus cube into each one, and sprinkle with spring onions and ginger.
5. After 3–4 minutes, once the edges are set, fold the overflowing batter in with a skewer, rotate the balls 90°, and flip them fully after another 2 minutes; roll them for 4–5 minutes until golden brown all over.
6. Arrange hot on a platter, drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, and sprinkle with bonito flakes.