Japan, Asia · Takoyaki (Osaka Octopus Balls)

Baked Takoyaki Cheese Muffins

Name: Baked Takoyaki Cheese Muffins
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: Vegetable oil (for the tin) 1½ tsp; Plain flour 120 g; Baking powder 1 tsp; Eggs 1; Soy sauce 1 tsp; Dashi stock, cooled 140 ml; Boiled octopus 100 g; Cabbage 60 g; Spring onions 20 g; Tenkasu (tempura crumbs) 2 tbsp; Beni shoga (red pickled ginger) 2 tsp; Shredded mozzarella 60 g; Takoyaki sauce or tonkatsu sauce 2 tbsp; Mayonnaise 2 tbsp; Aonori (green seaweed flakes) 1 tsp; Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) 2 g

Octopus, cabbage and cheese baked in a muffin tin, no takoyaki pan needed, then finished with sauce, mayo and bonito flakes: a café snack made for lunchboxes and parties.

ServingsServes 2

Total cooking time32 min

DifficultyEasy

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan) for . Brush 6 cups of a muffin tin thoroughly with oil. Paper cases make the bottoms less crisp, so baking straight in the oiled tin is best.
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for the tin) 1½ tsp
oven
Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl, add the eggs, soy sauce and dashi and stir gently with a spatula, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains; overmixing makes them tough. It should drop from the spatula like pancake batter.
Add in this stepPlain flour 120 gBaking powder 1 tspEggs 1Soy sauce 1 tspDashi stock, cooled 140 ml
Chop the octopus into 1 cm pieces and the cabbage into 5 mm bits, slice the spring onions and chop the ginger. Fold the octopus, cabbage, spring onions, tenkasu, ginger and half the mozzarella into the batter.
Add in this stepBoiled octopus 100 gCabbage 60 gSpring onions 20 gTenkasu (tempura crumbs) 2 tbspBeni shoga (red pickled ginger) 2 tspShredded mozzarella 30 g
Divide the batter among the cups, filling them three-quarters full, and top with the rest of the mozzarella. Bake in the oven for , until risen and golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Add in this stepShredded mozzarella 30 g
oven
Cool in the tin for , then run a knife around the edges and lift them out. Brush with sauce, drizzle with mayonnaise, top with aonori and bonito flakes and serve warm.
Add in this stepTakoyaki sauce or tonkatsu sauce 2 tbspMayonnaise 2 tbspAonori (green seaweed flakes) 1 tspKatsuobushi (bonito flakes) 2 g

Cook's tip

Chop the cabbage very finely so the muffins rise well and stay tender. With a mini-muffin tin, cut the baking time by 3–4 minutes. Warm leftover muffins in the microwave for 20 seconds before adding the sauce to make them moist again.

Cooking it at camp

Bake them at home and reheat at camp in a covered pan or on a grill over low heat. Pack the sauce, mayo and toppings separately and add them just before eating so nothing goes soggy. With a Dutch oven, you can even bake the muffin tin inside with coals above and below.