Takoyaki Recipes and Fun Facts about Octopus Balls

Have you ever eaten Takoyaki? Those famous octopus dumplings with Japanese mayonnaise? In this article we will talk a little about this traditional dish from Osaka, and also share some curiosities and recipe.

What is Takoyaki?

Takoyaki [たこ焼き] literally means fried or grilled octopus, but it refers to a popular Japanese round dumpling that looks more like a seasoned pancake made with a very soft, almost liquid dough and fried on a special griddle.

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It is usually stuffed with cut pieces of a small whole octopus, tempura shavings (tenkasu), chopped ginger and chives.

It is quite common to find stalls with these dumplings at festivals, cultural fairs and also in specialized places in Takoyaki.

Takoyaki began to become popular in Osaka, where the owner, Tomekichi Endo, gained fame for the invention in 1935. It originated in Kansai, spread to Kanto and other diverse areas of Tokyo and Japan.

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Takoyaki octopus balls

What are Takoyaki plates like?

The plate, known as takoyaki-nabe, is normally made of cast iron, having spherical molds.

The plate can be found in different sizes and models, the most common are those that have a space of 8 to 16 dumplings.

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Some plate models are also used to make pancakes, this practice is more common in the United States.

Typically at festivals and street stalls (Yatai), the griddle is heated using commercial gas stoves. There are also several models for home use.

In case you are looking, you can find these Takoyaki plates for sale clicking here.

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How to make Takoyaki - Recipe

Below you will learn a Takoyaki recipe for 4 people. If you don't have octopus, you can try using another stuffing like bacon, etc.

Pasta:

  • 700ml of water
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon of soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dashi sauce
  • 200g of flour
  • A bit of salt
Takoyaki - grilled octopus ball

Filling:

  • 200g or more of cooked octopus
  • 1 cup tenkasu (bread flour)

Options:

  • 2g Sakuraebi (Dried Shrimps)
  • 6g Beni Shoga (Picked Red Ginger)

Roof:

  • Takoyaki or Okonomiyaki sauce
  • Aonori (dried seaweed)
  • Katsuobushi (pretty fish zest)
  • Mayonnaise
  • 250ml of water
  • 3 teaspoons of vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Daishi Sauce
  • chopped chives

Preparation mode:

Mix all the dough ingredients well, then put the dough in the nabe pan and add the fillings on top, after ready, put them on chopsticks when they are already hardened, then put the frosting on top of the dumplings.

You can see the step-by-step recipe in the video below:

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