Japanese 20 min

Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)

Name: Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups dashi stock; 2 eggs; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 8 oz cooked octopus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1/4 cup pickled ginger (beni shoga), minced; 1/4 cup green onion, minced; 2 tablespoons tenkasu (tempura bits); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; Takoyaki sauce (or Worcestershire + ketchup mix); Japanese mayonnaise; Aonori (dried seaweed flakes); Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

seafoodcomfort-fooddairy-free

Ingredientsfor 2

340

Cal

22g

Protein

36g

Carbs

12g

Fat

11 cup all-purpose flour
22 cups dashi stock
32 eggs
41 tablespoon soy sauce
58 oz cooked octopus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
61/4 cup pickled ginger (beni shoga), minced
71/4 cup green onion, minced
82 tablespoons tenkasu (tempura bits)
92 tablespoons vegetable oil
10Takoyaki sauce (or Worcestershire + ketchup mix)
11Japanese mayonnaise
12Aonori (dried seaweed flakes)
13Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

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Instructions

1
Whisk flour, dashi, eggs, and soy sauce into a smooth, thin batter — it should be much more liquid than pancake batter, similar to crepe batter. Rest 10 minutes.
2
Heat a takoyaki pan over medium-high heat and oil every cup generously. Pour batter to fill each cup completely, slightly overfilling. Quickly add a piece of octopus, a little pickled ginger, green onion, and tenkasu to each cup before the batter sets.
3
After 2–3 minutes, when the edges of the batter begin to set and look opaque, use a skewer or chopstick to rotate each ball 90 degrees, folding the uncooked batter back inside. This is the defining skill of takoyaki — repeat rotations every 1–2 minutes.
4
Continue rotating the balls, adding a little extra batter if needed to fill any gaps, until they are perfectly round and evenly golden brown all over, about 8–10 minutes total. They should feel firm but bounce back slightly when pressed.
5
Transfer to a plate. Drizzle generously with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. Top with aonori and katsuobushi — the dancing bonito flakes signal they are hot and ready to eat.