Takoyaki (たこ焼き)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Takoyaki pan, preferably cast iron, or an electric takoyaki maker
• •Takoyaki pick, or bamboo skewers
• •Pastry brush or folded paper towel for oiling the wells
• •Small pitcher or measuring cup for pouring batter

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and warm it slowly over low heat. Pull the konbu just before the water boils, when small bubbles climb the pot sides. Add the katsuobushi, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for 3 minutes. Strain without pressing. Boiled konbu turns bitter, and squeezed bonito gives a cloudy, oily edge to a stock that should stay clean.

   You need 2 cups of cooled dashi for the batter. If you have extra, keep it for miso soup or a small clear broth.
2. 2

   Mix the batter

   Let the dashi cool to room temperature. Whisk the flour, eggs, soy sauce, salt, and 2 cups dashi until smooth, then rest the batter for 10 minutes. It should look thin, like heavy cream. That looseness is correct: the batter needs enough water and dashi to set into a tender center instead of a dry cake.

3. 3

   Prepare the fillings

   Cut the cooked octopus into small cubes, one for each well. Set the tenkasu, scallions, and beni shoga beside the stove. Once the pan is hot, you won't have time to go hunting for ginger with batter running over the iron.

4. 4

   Heat the mold

   Heat a takoyaki pan over medium-high heat until a drop of batter sizzles at once. Brush oil generously into every well and over the flat ridges between them. The oil is not only for flavor. It gives the shell its crispness and keeps the half-set batter moving when you turn it.

5. 5

   Fill the wells

   Pour batter into the wells until each one is full, and let a little batter flood the surface between them. Drop one cube of octopus into each well, then scatter tenkasu, scallions, and beni shoga over the whole pan. The overflow looks untidy, but it becomes the extra skirt you tuck into each ball as it turns.

6. 6

   Turn the takoyaki

   When the edges look set and lightly browned, use a takoyaki pick or bamboo skewer to cut around each well. Turn each piece about a quarter turn, pushing the loose edges into the hollow as you go. Wait a minute, then turn again. Keep turning until the balls are round, browned, and crisp outside, about 4 to 6 minutes total. Turn too early and they tear; wait too long and the center dries before the shape closes.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Lift the takoyaki onto a plate while the centers are still soft. Brush with takoyaki sauce, stripe lightly with Japanese mayonnaise, and finish with aonori and katsuobushi. Serve right away, but warn everyone to give the first bite a moment. The center holds heat fiercely, which is part of its charm and part of its little trick.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cooked octopus from a fishmonger or a Japanese market and taste a small piece before it goes into the pan. It should be clean, firm, and faintly sweet. If it tastes tired, change the dish. Sauce is not a hiding place.
• •A cast-iron takoyaki pan gives the best browning because it holds heat steadily. An electric takoyaki maker works well too, but let it preheat fully and give the first batch permission to teach you where its hot spots are.
• •Keep the batter in a measuring cup or pitcher and stir it before each pour. Flour settles quickly in a thin batter, and the last batch should taste like the first.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature before mixing the batter so the flour hydrates evenly.
• •The octopus, scallions, and beni shoga can be cut several hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
• •Takoyaki is best cooked just before serving. If needed, hold finished balls briefly on a rack in a warm oven, but don't sauce them until the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)