Takoyaki [たこ焼き] – is a typical and quintessential Japanese dish -especially at the summer festivals held in the region. In English, it is referred to as "Japanese octopus balls." The word "Takoyaki" translates into English as "octopus that is grilled/fried."
Many refer to it as "octopus balls," for short. Others may call it "octopus dumplings." These are fluffy, rich-tasting dough balls covered in a savory and delicious Takoyaki sauce.
The center is a highly delectable piece of octopus meat, which serves as a wonderful surprise to those that bite into them.
Watch the video
What is Takoyaki
Several ingredients are combined to create this worthy taste dish. These include batter using the required flour, eggs, rich soy sauce, and the Japanese soup stock called dashi.
The ingredients used at the center of the dough balls include octopus meat, pieces of scallions, red pickled ginger, or "benishouga".
The batter is placed into a specially designed Takoyaki pan with a specially designed mold that aids in creating the dough's shape.
Immediately after cooking, the pieces are transferred to a plate and topped with numerous seasonings.
These include Japanese mayonnaise, aonori flakes, often called "green laver flakes" – and bonito flakes. Then, drizzle the Takoyaki sauce over all of that.
I have found that the unique blends of all of the flavors combined help bring out the Japanese cuisine's style and tastes.
If you enjoy unique blends, flavors, and exotic foods, you are sure to love Takoyaki octopus balls.
Here, I will share some general information on the dish, provide insight into the ingredients commonly utilized, and provide some insider tips on creating, storing, and serving this delectable dish.
How Does Takoyaki Taste?
Takoyaki tastes much like Japanese pizza, or "okonomiyaki." It has a high level of moisture, which lends to the fact that it is also very soft. As you chew it, it almost seems to melt inside of your mouth.
It is a type of salty dish that has a strong - but highly savory - oceanic-based flavoring.
In addition to the oceanic, it combines multiple other flavors. It is a bit sweet and tangy. It is also quite briny and has a smokey flavor to it. The toppings include a little kelp flavoring.
Combined, this is a highly iconic dish that proves to be exceptionally exciting for the palate!
Grab these ingredients
Several ingredients are required to create this magnificent dish. While it may seem a bit overwhelming, it is well worth the preparation, time, and effort.
I have found it best to get together with a loved one or a friend, sit down at the table, gather all of the ingredients, and make a day/evening/or night of socializing and creating this savory dish.
Not only will you have loads of fun, but you will also be creating memories and a fantastic meal for all to enjoy!
Flour – To create the fluffy – yet dumpling-like – balls, combine all-purpose flour to bind all of the ingredients and cake flour. Or you can use the store-bought one (which Im using on this recipe).
Eggs – You will need two large eggs. Opt for pasture-raised or fresh as these have the richest flavoring. Before utilizing the eggs, whisk them together.
This ingredient is vital in helping the batter reach the proper consistency.
Dashi – This soup stock helps to provide savory, briny flavoring to the dish. You can utilize the powder version to infuse a little umami and enhance the batter's overall flavor and texture.
Soy Sauce -This provides the Takoyaki with a bit of an earthy flavor. It would be best if you only used about a tablespoon.
Octopus – Ensure that the meat has been pre-cooked through boiling when buying. This way, you know it is tender. Once you start preparing it for the dough balls, be sure to cut them into small cubes.
This will make it much easier to work with and enhance the dish's flavor once it is ready to serve.
Tenkasu - In short, these are small bits of tempura. This ingredient is essential because it helps in creating texture and increasing the aroma of the dish.
If you cannot purchase these, you may substitute an ingredient that you may find surprising - Rice Krispies!
Takoyaki sauce is thick, sweet, and brown and enhances the flavor.
Kewpie Mayonnaise – This is a sweet-based Japanese staple. It is made with egg yolks of eggs, which results in a rich custard-based texture.
Bonito Flakes - These are flakes created using dry fish pieces. The hot steam makes the shaved, paper-like flakes wave ever so slightly yet enhance the flavor tremendously.
This ingredient lends to the oceanic flavoring of the octopus balls.
Seaweed -For this, use the powdered version that is green in color.
Cabbage -Now, this is an optional ingredient. I use about three tablespoons because it helps enhance the flavor and reduces the balls' overall weight.
Scallions – You will need – at least -2 of these green onions. Chop them nicely to blend nicely into the batter.
Sesame oil – I usually brush the pan that I use with regular oil, but I have found that adding just a small amount of this sesame oil adds a wonderful toasted flavoring.
Benishoga – This is pickled ginger; this provides a zingy, acidic taste. Now, this is not required. I have just found that it helps enhance the flavor.
Toppings -The toppings that I use are all the traditional ones for this particular dish. They include Japanese mayonnaise, dried laver flakes, the Takoyaki sauce, and bonito flakes.
Step by steps instructions
Prep the Batter:
1 Mixing
- Pour 100 ml of water and add the dashi powder. Stir until completely dissolved, no lumps. Set aside.
- Weigh your Takoyaki flour (or AP flour), add the baking soda. Then, sift the dry ingredients using a fine mesh strainer.
- After sifting, pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the eggs and whisk the mixture to incorporate well until no lumps. Set aside.
- Transfer the Takoyaki batter into a squeeze bottle (if available) or in a small measuring cup to avoid accidental spillages or reduce drippings.
Prep the fillings:
2Prepping
- Dice the octopus, cut the scallions and other toppings you want to add. Set aside.
- All of the filings that you will use on the inside of the dough balls should be prepped thoroughly before heating the pan. Once prepared, heat your pan.
Cook the Takoyaki
3 Pouring and Filling
- Pre-heat the Takoyaki pan and brush some oil or dip a paper towel slightly in the oil and rub it on the pan.
- Whisk the batter up one more time, and then pour it into the pan cavities and fill it up for about 90% as the batter will expand while cooking.
- Let the batter cook for one minute and you may drop in your fillings like some diced octopus, scallions, and tempura bits. Doing this will ensure the fillings won't sink in the bottom.
- Cook until the edges are a bit on the solid side about 2 to 3 minutes.
4 Flipping
- Using a toothpick or a skewer pick, check if the first Takoyaki can be easily turned or be released. If yes, turn the octopus ball at 45° way around.
- If you find that you are having a hard time doing this, allow them to cook a little longer and then try to turn again. Once turned, you may turn a bit more to have a round ball.
- Once you flipped the ball, there would be an opening in the Takoyaki cavity then, you can pour extra batter to fill that space.
- Now, you can pour more batter into the entire pan and continue to cook. Use the pick to keep turning the Takoyaki around the edges and fold any excess batter into the balls.
- Pay attention to your octopus balls, continue to flip the Takoyaki until it formed into a nice ball, and turn into a golden brown. Let the batter cook all the way without burning.
Add the garnish
5 Saucing
- When the balls are crisp and are golden colored, you may then take them out of the mold and place them on a plate. Drizzle the mayonnaise and Takoyaki sauce on top.
6 Toppings
- Finally, sprinkle with aonori (seaweed flakes) and bonito flakes or add whatever additional toppings you like and enjoy!
Notes
I find that it is best to eat the Takoyaki when it is fresh; however, you may have some leftovers. If you do, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
It is best to only place balls with no sauce in the fridge. When you are ready to eat the leftovers, sauce them and heat them for about 30 seconds.
How long will Takoyaki last?
If you have some leftovers, you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you have extra batter and leftover toppings, they will keep for about two days, too; however, you must keep the two separated.
What is in the Takoyaki sauce?
This is similar to Worcestershire sauce, but it is much thicker and contains a sweet flavor. You can purchase this in the store, generally, Asian stores and markets.
It is sold in a squeeze bottle and usually has a picture of an octopus on it. It is also much like tonkatsu sauce and the popular okonomiyaki sauce.
How to make Takoyaki sauce?
If you are looking for a tangier, smokier sauce that is not as sweet, you may use tonkatsu sauce. I prefer this. Otherwise, you may use Takoyaki sauce.
If you are making it and cannot find the kewpie mayonnaise, you may substitute traditional mayonnaise.
It will still taste wonderful, but the Japanese mayonnaise has a sweeter and fruitful taste with a strong egg flavoring because of the yolks' use only.
Ingredients for Takoyaki sauce
- 4 tablespoon mentsuyu or store-bought (recipe here)
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic minced or powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger minced or powder
How to do it:
- Mix all the above ingredients into a small bowl.
- Taste and adjust the flavor according to your liking by adding more of any wet ingredient until you're satisfied with the flavor.
Why I love this sauce
- This recipe is sweet and fruity. It is delicious. It takes on Japanese umami and is very easy to make. I love Japanese cuisine and was so thrilled at the ease of creating this recipe that I use it on multiple dishes!
- It is highly versatile! I even use it as a marinade and as a way to baste various meats before cooking. Yes, it is possible to purchase the sauce, but I recommend trying your hand at this one day when you have some time to tinker in the kitchen.
Don't be afraid to experiment with your seasonings or flavoring, either because you will likely discover your own blend.
The Takoyaki Pan
To make these, you will need a Takoyaki pan. You may also use a special Takoyaki machine. If using the pan, it will need to be placed over a fire.
If you are using the machine appliance, you plug it in and wait for the plate to become hot. You may find both of these cooking devices in a Japanese store or online retailers like Amazon.
Cooking Frozen Takoyaki
Method #1: (using the microwave)
- Place the balls in the microwave on low power. Anything more, and you will find that they explode when subjected to heat.
- If you are making pre-packaged Takoyaki, read the instructions.
- In most instances, they will instruct you to heat in a microwave.
- Look for the servings section as this will tell you how much you can heat and for how long.
- Let's say you have a 600-watt microwave. You should likely heat ten pieces for about 4.5 minutes. If you have a 500-watt, the time will increase by nearly a minute. For the 1000+-watt models, you want to pay special attention to the instructions, or you could ruin the snack while attempting to heat it.
Method #2: (using an air fryer)
- Place in the appliance at 375°F for about 9-10 minutes, or until the dish develops a golden-brown color.
If – by chance – you do not have an air fryer available, you can prepare this dish using a conventional oven or a toaster oven.
Method #3: (using an oven or a toaster oven):
- When using either an oven or a toaster oven appliance, bake on a baking sheet at 375°F.
- Before placing the Takoyaki on the baking sheet, lay down a piece of aluminum foil. This way, after you have made the snack, you will not have to struggle with the clean-up.
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- Fried Calamari Recipe
- Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
- Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings Recipe
- Onigiri Rice Ball Spicy Salmon Recipe
Tips and tricks for making Takoyaki
- You can pre-make the batter so that the flour hydrates in a refrigerator before using it. This makes it smoother before cooking but crispier afterward.
You can never use too much oil when making this dish. - It is acceptable to use generous amounts of batters. Professionals and vendors always overfill the cavities to achieve a perfect shape and taste.
- Once the dough is set during the cooking process, be sure to move the balls around a lot. This will help with the browning process.
How to store leftover Takoyaki?
- Takoyaki ALWAYS tastes best when it is fresh, but if you have to store some in the fridge, it'll last for a couple of days. Once you bring it out, microwave it to warm it up.
- If you have the remaining batter, it'll hold for a couple of days in the refrigerator, too. Just make sure it is stored separately from the toppings.
There it is! An amazing fluffy dough recipe loaded with robust, flavorful ingredients that will please every palate!
Full Recipe
Takoyaki Octopus Balls Recipe
Equipments:
- Takoyaki pan / maker
- Squeeze bottle
- brush
Ingredients:
Batter:
- 100 g Takoyaki flour (or flour + cake flour)
- 1 teaspoon Dashi powder
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 400 ml warm water
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil (use to oil the pan)
Filling:
- ¼ cup cooked Octopus (diced)
- 2 tablespoon Tempura bits (Tenkasu)
- 2 tablespoon scallions
- 2 tablespoon red pickled ginger (benishouga)
Garnish:
- Takoyaki sauce
- Bonito flakes
- Mayonnaise
Watch the Video:
Instructions:
Prep the Batter:
- Pour 100 ml of water and add the dashi powder. Stir until completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Weigh your Takoyaki flour (or AP flour), add the baking soda. Then, sift the dry ingredients using a fine mesh strainer.
- After sifting, pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the eggs and whisk the mixture to incorporate well until no lumps. Set aside.
- Transfer the Takoyaki batter into a squeeze bottle (if available) or in a small measuring cup to avoid accidental spillages or reduce drippings.
Prep the Fillings:
- Dice the octopus, cut the scallions and other toppings you want to add. Set aside.
Cook the Takoyaki:
- Pre-heat the Takoyaki pan and brush some oil or dip a paper towel slightly in the oil and rub it on the pan.
- Whisk the batter up one more time, and then pour it into the pan cavities and fill it up for about 90% as the batter will expand while cooking.
- Let the batter cook for one minute and you may drop in your fillings like some diced octopus, scallions, and tempura bits. Doing this will ensure the fillings won't sink in the bottom.
- Cook until the edges are a bit on the solid side about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a toothpick or a pick, check if the first Takoyaki can be easily turned or be released. If yes, turn the octopus ball at 45° way around.
- Once you flipped the ball, there would be an opening in the Takoyaki cavity then, you can pour extra batter to fill that space.
- Now, you can pour more batter into the entire pan and continue to cook. Use the pick to keep turning the Takoyaki around the edges and fold any excess batter into the balls.
- Pay attention to your octopus balls, continue to flip the Takoyaki until it formed into a nice ball, and turn into a golden brown. Let the batter cook all the way without burning.
- Serve them on a plate and drizzle with the Takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise then sprinkle with aonori (or seaweed flakes) and bonito flakes to serve.
Notes:
- I find that it is best to eat the Takoyaki when it is fresh; however, you may have some leftovers. If you do, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- It is best to only place balls with no sauce in the fridge. When you are ready to eat the leftovers, heat them for about 30 seconds. Drizzle with Takoyaki sauce and your favorite garnishes.
Nutrition Information:
Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
FAQS
They are similar, and one may substitute the other in any dish; however, there are slight differences in each’s thickness, flavor, color, and fruitiness.
It is basically like Worcestershire sauce with a fruity tang. It is a tad on the sweet side, compared to other types of Japanese sauces. It also has a bit of a salty kick.
It is best to use the homemade sauce within a week of making it or opening it. If you have any unused portions left, place them in the refrigerator in a closed container.
Once the sauces are in place, you may put a wide assortment of toppings on your Takoyaki. These include katsuobushi (or red pickled ginger), aonori (or seaweed flakes), extra bonito flakes, and more! Just make sure the dish is thoroughly cooked and warm so that the toppings hold better and taste wonderful together.
