This Japanese street food needs no fancy introduction, it has become so popular in Singapore over the years with every appearance in our night markets/bazaars but alas with Covid-19 precautions, these little golden balls are sure hard to come by.
So what is a takoyaki?
One of the popular street food, these little golden balls are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are usually filled with some kinda protein. Octopus is classic, but feel free to put in shrimp, chicken ham, or whatever savory filling you like.
Basically, the quintessential components of takoyaki are:
- The batter: Made of flour, eggs, dashi powder, soy sauce…etc. I have switched the dashi powder with Ikan Bilis granules (fish stock), which is not only a great substitute but wayyy easier to find in our supermarkets.
- The filling: Traditionally made with octopus aka tako but the sky is really the limit here. I used crabstick, prawns, and sausages for mine. Cube of cheese is good too!!
- Takoyaki sauce. A thick brown sweet and savory sauce. I call this the Japanese BBQ sauce! It is readily available in most supermarkets. I got the halal ones from Shopee.
- Kewpie mayo. This is of course an essential topping. The creaminess pairs perfectly with the tangy takoyaki sauce.
- Bonito flakes: Another essential topping for takoyaki. Delicate and paper-thin, it tops beautifully on the little balls of gold. Again, I bought halal ones from Shopee.
- Seaweed: Sprinkled on top of the takoyaki. This is optional but it sure adds a nice touch. I used spring onion though as my mom isn’t a seaweed fan.
You do need a takoyaki pan for this. Although I used an electric takoyaki pan, the cast-iron takoyaki pans that go on top of the stove works perfectly too! Quick tip, to make the balls perfectly round, you HAVE to overfill your takoyaki pan. This way as you keep turning the balls, it would be perfectly round. I did not overfill my pan because I did not want things to look messy in the video. Yup, even my takoyakis are vain. Yes, not a professional takoyaki maker here but I sure know how to entice your taste buds with a neat-looking video!
So before you worry about being a pro or not, let me assure you with this Easy Takoyaki Recipe you will yield soft bouncy balls of yummy goodness and all with the convenience of easy to find ingredients. Go ahead and get your kids to help out, as they are really fun to make together, especially with the flavour customization you won’t get to enjoy when buying these. I for one got my nieces to help me and boy did sure had a good time making up new fillings. So if you and your loved ones are missing these night market/bazaar staples, here’s the perfect time for you to try your hand at trying to make your own takoyaki!
- 2¼ cups water
- 1.5 cups plain flour
- 2.5 tbsp corn flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp ikan bilis granules (fish seasoning powder)
- ½ tsp salt
- Preferred filling (I used prawns and sausages and pan fried the ingredients for a few minutes)
- Spring onion
- Takoyaki sauce
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Bonito flakes
- Seaweed flakes
- Spring onion
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. If there are lumps, give it a strain. Alternatively, you can mix all the ingredients in a blender too.
- Heat the takoyaki pan over a medium high heat and brush oil over the entire surface. Pour the batter into the cavities.
- Place one piece of octopus or whichever protein you are using, into each well.
- Top with some spring onion.
- When the bottom of the batter starts turning crispy, use 2 sticks or chopsticks to release the takoyaki from the cavity.
- Add more batter as required.
- Continue rotating the takoyaki occasionally as the batter becomes crispy and golden brown on all sides.
- Once golden, place the takoyaki on a plate. Top with takoyaki sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, bonito flakes, seaweed and spring onion. Enjoy!
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