About YUU日本語
Takoyaki (Octopus Balls, with a Takoyaki Pan)
Makes about 24 (serves 2–3) · About 40 min
Takoyaki made in a takoyaki pan: browned outside and soft and gooey inside. Top with sauce, mayonnaise, aonori and bonito flakes.
① Cut the fillings→② Make the batter→③ Heat the takoyaki pan→④ Add the batter and fillings→⑤ Turn and cook into balls
What to buy
Fish
Vegetables & eggs
Flour, dry goods & seasonings
Check what you already have
Tap an item to check it off (checks clear when you close the page). Tools: a takoyaki pan, 2 bamboo skewers (or takoyaki picks).
How to make it
1
Cut the fillings
- On the cutting board, cut the boiled octopus into 1.5 cm cubes. About 24 pieces is fine
- Cut the root ends off the green onions and slice from the end into 2–3 mm rounds
- If the red pickled ginger is in long pieces, chop it finely on the cutting board
How to tell it's doneThe octopus, green onion and pickled ginger are each in their own small dish.
2
Make the batter
- Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and beat with a whisk
- Add 400 ml water, 1 tsp dashi granules and 1 tsp soy sauce, and mix
- Add 100 g cake flour and whisk round and round
How to tell it's doneNo lumps of flour, and the batter is thin and watery. This is correct.
3
Heat the takoyaki pan and oil it
- Put the takoyaki pan on the heat (or switch on an electric one) and heat it well
- Put 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a small dish and soak it into a folded paper towel
- With the paper towel, coat the inside of the holes and the flat area around them generously with oil. Hold the paper towel with chopsticks
How to tell it's doneWhen you drop in 1 drop of batter, it sizzles right away.
Be carefulThe takoyaki pan gets very hot. Do not touch it with your hands. If there is not enough oil, the batter sticks and will not turn.
4
Add the batter and fillings
- The flour sinks to the bottom, so mix the batter well again before using
- Pour in the batter with a ladle. Add plenty, so it overflows the holes and spreads onto the flat area around them (this uses about half the batter)
- Put 1 piece of octopus in each hole
- Scatter 2 tbsp tempura bits and half the green onion and pickled ginger over everything
How to tell it's doneThe batter around the holes turns whitish and starts to set. Lift the edge of one hole a little with a skewer: the bottom is light golden brown.
Be carefulIf there is not enough batter, they will not become round. Too much is just right.
5
Turn and cook into balls
- With a skewer, cut the batter between the holes into a grid
- One at a time, run the skewer along the edge of the hole and turn the ball just 90 degrees (a quarter turn). Push any batter sticking out into the hole with the skewer
- After turning them all, turn them again starting from the first one. Repeat a few times to make them round
- Once they are round, roll them now and then to brown them all over
- Make a second batch the same way with the rest of the batter, octopus, tempura bits, green onion and pickled ginger (starting from oiling the pan)
How to tell it's doneGolden brown all over, and the outside is crisp and firm when you poke it with a skewer. Break 1 open: even if the inside is soft and gooey, it is hot enough to steam, and no raw batter runs out.
Be carefulFresh takoyaki are very hot inside. If you put a whole one in your mouth right away, you will burn your mouth. Break it open and let it cool a little before eating.
6
Add sauce to finish
- Move the cooked takoyaki to a plate with a skewer
- Pour 4 tbsp sauce over them all and drizzle 2 tbsp mayonnaise in thin lines
- Sprinkle with 1 tsp aonori and 1 pack of bonito flakes
ReadyEat while freshly made, while the bonito flakes are still moving from the heat.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
They stick and will not turnNot enough oil, or you turned them too soon. Next time, oil generously and turn after the bottom is golden brown.
They stay flat and do not become roundNot enough batter. Next time, fill so it overflows the holes, and push the extra batter into the holes as you turn.
The inside is runny and seems rawNot cooked long enough. Cook 2–3 more minutes, rolling them with a skewer.
The outside is burnt blackThe heat is too high. Next time, keep it on medium heat and roll them often once they brown.
Was this recipe helpful?
This site is free with no ads. If you like, you can support it with a tip.
☕ Send a tip Choose how many cups. Everything stays free to read.Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me