Osaka-Style Takoyaki with Fresh Dashi and Homemade Sauce

Method

1. Put the water and kombu in a 16 cm pot and warm slowly on medium-low heat for 10 min. When small bubbles appear at the edge, lift out the kombu; let it come to the boil once, turn off the heat, add the bonito flakes and steep for 3 min. When they sink, strain through a sieve lined with kitchen paper without squeezing, then set the bowl in iced water until completely cold. Warm dashi develops gluten and makes the balls tough.

   Add in this stepWater (for the dashi) 420 mlKombu (dried kelp) 5 gKatsuobushi (for the dashi) 10 g

   medium-low heat

2. Put the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, sugar and soy sauce in a small pan and simmer on low heat for 2 min, stirring, until slightly thickened, then cool. It's tangier and deeper than bottled sauce.

   Add in this stepWorcestershire sauce 2 tbspKetchup 1 tbspOyster sauce 1 tspSugar 1 tspSoy sauce (for the sauce) 1 tsp

   low heat

3. Put the flour, eggs, light soy sauce and salt in a bowl and whisk in the cold dashi a little at a time until smooth. A very runny batter is correct. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 min; resting settles the batter for a creamy inside and crisp outside.

   Add in this stepSoft flour or plain flour 100 gEggs 1Light soy sauce (usukuchi) 1 tspSalt 1 pinch

4. Pat the octopus dry and cut into 1.5 cm pieces, slice the spring onions and finely chop the ginger. Heat the takoyaki pan on medium-high heat for 3 min, until very hot, and brush part of the oil generously into each hole; a thin pool of oil in the bottom of each hole is what fries the shell crisp.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbsp

   medium-high heat

5. Pour in the batter until it overflows, put a piece of octopus in each hole, then scatter the tenkasu, ginger and spring onions over the whole pan.

   Add in this stepBoiled octopus 120 gTenkasu (tempura crumbs) 4 tbspBeni shoga (red pickled ginger) 2 tbspSpring onions 20 g

6. Cook on medium heat for 2 min, until the edges set, then cut the grid with a skewer and turn each ball 90 degrees, tucking the overflow inside. Keep turning every 30 seconds for 6 min; in the last minute, trickle the remaining oil around the edges of the pan and keep rolling so the shells fry crisp. They're done when a tap with your finger feels a firm shell. Pan-loads (16-hole pan): 2.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbsp

   medium heat

7. Plate, brush with the cooled homemade sauce, zigzag with mayonnaise, top with aonori and bonito flakes and serve at once.

   Add in this stepMayonnaise 2 tbspAonori (green seaweed flakes) 1 tspKatsuobushi (for topping) 4 g