Takoyaki: Gooey, Delicious Octopus Fritters That Burn Your Mouth
In 2024, Knifewear finally started carrying Takoyaki pans after years of folks asking us to get them. This extremely niche piece of cookware delighted me, not just because I’m obsessed with niche types of cast iron pan, but also for all of the potential it held. Sure, you could cook takoyaki in it, but you could also make pancake balls, latke balls, Mini yorkies - the possibilities were endless!
While I was excited to experiment with this new tool, I figured I should start with the classic. Takoyaki is a unique Japanese street food, made with runny batter, a piece of octopus (tako) tentacle, and all manner of garnishes, each one essential to its unique flavour. My coworker Naoto, something of an expert in Japanese cooking, shared his recipe with me and instructed me in the process. Without further ado, here is his recipe for takoyaki:
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 Egg
- ¾ Cup water
- 1tsp Dashi powder
- ¼ Cup flour
Fillings
- Cooked octopus tentacle, cut into 1cm chunks
- Green onion, finely sliced into disks
- Benishoga, Red pickled ginger (Not the pink stuff you get with sushi), finally diced
Toppings
- Kewpie Mayo
- Takoyaki sauce (Okonomiyaki sauce also works)
- Katsuobushi
- Aonori (dried seaweed flakes)
How to Make Takoyaki
Start preheating your takoyaki pan over a low flame. Whisk the egg well, then add the water and dashi powder and whisk again. Add the flour and, you guessed it, whisk a third time. The batter should be smooth and quite runny.
Once the takoyaki pan is fairly hot, dip a cloth in neutral cooking oil and rub each “bowl” of the pan generously with oil. There should be a couple ml of oil left in the bottom of each bowl.
Using a measuring cup with a spout or similar pouring vessel, fill each “bowl” and allow it to overflow slightly. It should sizzle loudly when you pour the batter in, and the whole top of the pan should have a light layer of batter on it. Put one piece of octopus in the middle of each takoyaki, and sprinkle the whole pan generously with green onion and benishoga.
Let it cook for a minute, then score the grid on the pan with a cheap knife or edge of a metal spatula to separate the takoyaki. Starting in the middle of the pan, using moribashi or bamboo skewers, gather the excess batter into the middle of the first takoyaki and gently try to separate it from the edge of the bowl. It should be somewhat brown and separate fairly easily. If it doesn’t, let it cook more. Once cooked enough, rotate the first takoyaki a quarter turn.
Work outwards from the middle, finding the most cooked takoyaki and flipping them. Once the flipped ones have cooked for a few minutes, give them another quarter turn and let them cook a few minutes more until they’re brown all over.
Once you have 6 cooked or so, pile them up in the middle of a plate. Drizzle generously with Kewpie mayo and takoyaki sauce, then sprinkle with seaweed flakes and katsuobushi. Serve with a toothpick for pickup them up, and enjoy! Or maybe wait a minute first, because they’re going to be lava inside. Delicious, delicious lava.
