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Japan, Asia

Takoyaki (Osaka Octopus Balls)

Round, crisp-shelled balls of dashi batter with octopus, tempura crumbs and pickled ginger, finished with sauce, mayo and dancing bonito flakes: Osaka's iconic street snack.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time35 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsYou need a takoyaki pan (with half-sphere holes) and skewers. Freshly made takoyaki are scalding inside: break one open to let the steam out before eating.

Method

  1. Put the flour in a bowl, add the eggs, soy sauce and salt, then whisk in the cold dashi a little at a time until there are no lumps. The batter should be thinner than milk; that's correct. Rest it in the fridge for for a crisper shell, then pour it into a jug with a spout.

    Add in this stepPlain flour 100 gEggs 1Dashi stock, chilled 350 mlSoy sauce 1 tspSalt 1 pinch

  2. Cut the octopus into 1.5 cm pieces, slice the spring onions and finely chop the pickled ginger. Set everything within reach of the pan so you aren't rushing once cooking starts.

  3. Heat the takoyaki pan on medium-high heat for , until really hot, then brush oil generously into every hole and over the flat surface with a brush or folded kitchen paper. It's ready just before the oil starts to smoke; a pan that isn't hot enough makes the batter stick.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbsp

    medium-high heat

  4. Pour the batter over the whole pan so that the holes overflow. Drop a piece of octopus into each hole, then scatter the tenkasu, ginger and spring onions over everything. The overflow gets tucked into the balls later, so don't worry about it.

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

  5. Cook on medium heat for , until the edges set, then use a skewer to cut the batter along the grid between the holes and turn each ball 90 degrees, tucking the excess batter inside. Keep turning every 30 seconds for more, until the balls are round, golden and firm, then lift them out. Brush on a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Pan-loads (16-hole pan): 2.

    medium heat

  6. Put them on a plate, brush with sauce, zigzag the mayonnaise over and finish with aonori and bonito flakes. Eat while the flakes are still dancing in the heat.

    Add in this stepTakoyaki sauce or tonkatsu sauce 3 tbspMayonnaise 2 tbspAonori (green seaweed flakes) 1 tspKatsuobushi (bonito flakes) 4 g

Cook's tip

Timing the first turn is the hardest part: too early and they burst, too late and they burn. Turn when the edges have set white. For an extra-crisp shell, drizzle a little more oil in the last minute and keep rolling. Prawns, sausage or cheese also work instead of octopus.

Cooking it at camp

At a campsite, a takoyaki pan made for gas stoves works exactly the same. Make the batter at home and carry it in a bottle in the cooler; wind slows the cooking, so put up a windbreak. Hot oil can spit, so keep children back from the pan.