Takoyaki

Method

1. 01

   Cut the cooked octopus

   Cut 180 g fully cooked octopus into 1.3 cm pieces, keeping 24 equal pieces for the 24 takoyaki. Pat them dry and keep them chilled in a clean covered dish.

   

2. 02

   Whisk the batter

   Whisk 120 g flour, 4 g baking powder, and 3 g salt with 360 ml dashi. Beat in two eggs, 100 g total, and 5 ml soy sauce until smooth, then rest the batter covered for 10 minutes.

   

3. 03

   Heat and oil the pan

   Heat a clean 24-hole takoyaki pan over medium heat until the cooking surface reaches about 200°C. Brush all wells and the flat surface with 30 ml neutral oil; set one clean thermometer and two clean picks aside.

   

4. 04

   Fill the first 12 wells

   Pour batter into 12 wells until slightly overfilled. Put one chilled 1.3 cm octopus piece in each and scatter 30 g tenkasu around them. Keep the remaining batter, octopus, and tenkasu covered and separate until the second batch.

   

5. 05

   Set the bottoms

   Cook the first batch at about 200°C for 3 minutes, until the batter at the bottom is set and lightly browned. Break the connected overflow between wells with a clean pick without scraping the pan.

   

6. 06

   Rotate until round

   Rotate each ball a quarter turn with two clean picks, then keep turning every 30–45 seconds for 4 minutes. Add a few drops of oil only if the wells look dry; keep the outside browned and the inside steaming.

   

7. 07

   Finish the second batch

   Transfer the first 12 balls to a clean plate and repeat the fill, set, and rotation sequence for the remaining 12 using the covered batter, octopus, and 30 g tenkasu. Check one ball from each batch; the batter and octopus centre must reach at least 74°C, with opaque firm octopus.

   

8. 08

   Measure the four toppings

   Divide 24 hot takoyaki among four plates, six per plate. For each plate, use exactly 30 g takoyaki sauce, 20 g Japanese mayonnaise, 1 g aonori, and 2 g katsuobushi. Serve immediately; no other garnish is part of this recipe.