Osaka-Style Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Ball Street Snack)

Name: Osaka-Style Takoyaki (Japanese Octopus Ball Street Snack)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: boiled octopus 150 g; cake flour 150 g; eggs 2 ea; dashi stock 500 ml; green onion 3 ea; tenkasu (tempura flakes) 30 g; pickled red ginger 20 g; takoyaki sauce 3 tbsp; Japanese mayonnaise 2 tbsp; bonito flakes 5 g

Quick answer

Total time: 35 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

The batter here is more than three parts dashi to one part flour, thin enough to pour like water.

It goes into the pan until each hollow overflows, octopus, green onion, tenkasu, and red pickled ginger drop in, and once the edges set, a skewer turns each one over and over into a ball. The shell cooks thin while the inside stays soft.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

eggs2 ea

green onion3 ea

tenkasu (tempura flakes)

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Whisk 150 g flour, 2 eggs, and 500 ml dashi until the batter is as thin as water.

Press out any lumps, then stir down to the bottom again before each pour so the flour does not settle.
2

Cut 150 g boiled octopus into 1.5 cm pieces, then finely slice 3 green onions and 20 g pickled red ginger.

Set the 30 g tenkasu beside the pan so each well can be filled quickly.
3

Heat the takoyaki pan over medium heat and brush each well lightly with oil.

When a drop of batter sizzles at once, pour the batter generously so the wells are full and slightly overflowing.
4

Drop octopus, green onion, tenkasu, and pickled red ginger evenly into each well.

Leave them undisturbed for about 1 minute, until the rims turn pale and begin to set without tearing.
5

Loosen the edges with a pick and rotate each piece 90 degrees, letting uncooked batter flow into the open space.

Lower to medium-low heat and keep turning several times until the balls become round.
6

When the outside is lightly browned, check the largest takoyaki and continue turning until its center reaches at least 71C.

Cut one open to confirm there is no wet raw batter, then finish with 3 tablespoons takoyaki sauce, 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise, and 5 g bonito flakes.