Takoyaki

Not to be confused with Taiyaki.

Takoyaki

A boat of takoyaki
Origin
Place of origin	Japan
Region or state	Japanese-speaking areas
Dish details
Course served	Snack
Main ingredient(s)	batter, baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, green onion

Traditional takoyaki without sauce

Cooking takoyaki

Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼^?) (literally fried or grilled octopus) is a popular ball-shaped Japanese dumpling or more like a savory pancake made of batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan (see below). It is typically filled with diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion.

In modern days, it became common to be brushed with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise, and topped with green laver (aonori) and katsuobushi (shavings of dried bonito). There are many variations to the takoyaki recipe. For example, ponzu i.e. soy sauce with dashi and citrus vinegar, goma-dare i.e. sesame-and-vinegar sauce or vinegared dashi.

It was first popularized in Osaka, where a street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935 under the influence of Akashiyaki.^[1] Takoyaki was initially popular in Kansai but later spread to Kanto and other areas. Today, it is popular in many areas throughout Japan. Takoyaki can be purchased in many street food stalls (yatai) but today there are many well-established takoyaki specialty restaurants/eateries that are very popular. Osaka and the Kansai area is particularly famous for it. It may be often sold in many commercial outlets, e.g. supermarkets or 24-hours shops. In addition, frozen takoyakis are even exported to many overseas countries.

Yaki is derived from "yaku" (焼く^?) which is one of the cooking methods in Japanese cuisine, meaning "to fry or grill", and can be found in the names of other Japanese cuisine items such as teppanyaki, yakitori, teriyaki and sukiyaki.^[2]

Takoyaki Yatai

Takoyaki pan

Square takoyaki pan with 16 molds

A takoyaki pan (たこ焼き器, takoyakiki^?) or—much more rarely—takoyaki-nabe (たこ焼き鍋^?) is typically made of cast iron with half-spherical molds. The heavy iron evenly heats the takoyaki. Commercial gas-fueled takoyaki cookers are used at Japanese festivals or by street vendors. For home use, electric versions resembling a hotplate; stovetop versions are also available.

Takoyaki batter recipe

To make about 60 takoyaki balls:

• low gluten wheat flour 300 g
• dashi 1000 ml (chilled)
• eggs 3
• soy sauce 1 tsp
• salt 1.5 tsp

Mix all the ingredients till smooth, and rest the batter in a refrigerator for overnight or 1 full day. Mix it well every time it is to be cooked, as the starch will sediment rapidly.

There are many variations to the batter recipe, e.g. different types of flour may be used, some batter mixes corn starch, other may substitute some part of the water with milk.

See also

Media related to Takoyaki at Wikimedia Commons

• Japanese cuisine
• Æbleskiver, traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere.
• Poffertjes, a similar Dutch dish that is sweet.
• Paniyaram, a similar dish from the south of India that comes in sweet and savoury varieties.
• Yorkshire pudding
• Okonomiyaki

References

1. ^ Takoyaki - Icon of Osaka
2. ^ Takoyaki, the great street snack