Takohime’s Food Corner
Hello and welcome to Takohime’s Special Page!
Thank you very very much for buying the Dress & Dine Edition of the OCᐁCULT Fashion Zine.
Who is Takohime anway?
I’m your friendly next-door octopus-girl with an unchallenged love for takoyaki and other octopus related dishes.
But isn’t this cannibalism?
You’re not wrong, but I’m not directly related to those octopuses, since I’m genetically half human.
Also, how is it my fault if they taste this good? Can you really blame me?
And what are you doing here?
I’m here to talk about the thing I love most: TAKOYAKI!
What is Takoyaki?
Takoyaki is a ball shaped snack, which is made of a batter with typically diced or minced octopus inside. One portion usually consists of 6 balls, topped with sauce, aonori, mayonnaise and bonito flakes.
But don’t worry, if you don’t like octopus, you can just put something else inside!
How about salmon? Teriyaki chicken? Ham? Beef? Or veggies?
There are even recipes for sweet variations. How do pancake balls sound? With chocolate maybe?
They’re actually quite easy to make and the required takoyaki makers are easy to get these days.
How to make them?
I thought you’d never ask! There is a pre-made flour mix, and if you’re just starting out, there are starter sets out there, too. But when it comes to the ingredients, I think those are as much of a scam as pancake-flour mix, so we’ll start from scratch! It’s easy!
You need (ca. 4 portions):
150g wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
about 350 ml dashi broth
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Eggs (M size)
Oil for the pan (I recommend vegetable or sunflower oil)
Notes:
Instead of dashi broth, you can scramble some of the bonito flakes into the mix or you can use a different broth if you don’t like the fishy flavor. I recommend using chicken or vegetable broth if you plan to add alternative ingredients, like chicken or veggies.
For the filling:
~50g diced octopus (1 or 2 per ball, depending on size)
1 or 2 spring onions
2 Tbsp red pickled ginger, roughly minced
2 Tbsp tenkasu (usually available at go asia)
Notes:
Getting diced octopus may not be as easy. Some Asian supermarkets sell them, others don’t. I got mine from the frozen department of a big Edeka Center from the brand Costa. It’s a big bag which lasts for quite a while. Alternatively, I use sliced sushi octopus. It’s not as nice as the diced bits, though. By now REWE regularly has pulpo arms in their makets as well.
The spring onions I get from the Asian supermarket are thinner than the ones from our local supermarkets. I personally prefer those for takoyaki.
Adding tenkasu is really nice, but for me hard to get. It won’t destroy the taste if you don’t add it, as it doesn’t add as much taste as the spring onions or the ginger.
For the Topping:
Takoyaki Sauce
Mayonnaise
Aonori
Bonito flakes
Notes:
For the sauce, I like to mix my own. There are various recipes, but my personal favorite is a mix of Unagi sauce, with a little bit of soy sauce and fruity tonkatsu sauce (from bulldog). I like it when the sauce is a bit on the thicker side and not too thin.
Preparation:
Put the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and slowly add the dashi broth, soy sauce and egg. Mix thoroughly to a smooth batter and leave it in the fridge, while you prepare the other ingredients.
If you didn’t get diced octopus, cut it into approx. 1cm bits. Mince the spring onions and red pickled ginger. Put each of the ingredients for the filling in a little bowl and put them on the side.
Put the sauce, aonori, mayo and bonito flakes on the side, so you have them on hand once your takoyaki are done.
Turn on your takoyaki pan or maker and cover the hollows with oil by using a paper towel or silicone brush. Once hot enough, fill the holes with the batter and add the ingredients for the filling: first the octopus (or whatever you chose instead) and then the ginger, spring onions and tenkasu. Turn the balls by 90 degrees with the takoyaki skewers and add a bit of batter. Maybe add some more ginger, tenkasu and spring onions if you like. Repeat until you have golden brown and slightly crispy balls. Don’t be afraid of batter going over the edges of the holes, just stuff it back into them when you turn the takoyaki balls.
Once done, put the sauce on top, add the aonori and mayo and top it off with the bonito flakes.
DONE!
Enjoy your homemade takoyaki!
They taste best when you share them with family and friends. ♡
Notes:
I’m usually lazy and put the ginger and spring onions into the batter, too.
That way, I only need to add the octopus and tenkasu. This is only recommended if you plan to use all of the batter right away.
If you’re done cooking and there is some batter left, you can simply put it into the fridge and use it the next day. I don’t recommend to store it longer than one day, though, because of the eggs in it.
You want more Takohime & Takoyaki?
No problem, Takohime has various merchandise already! And there’s more to come in the future~ ♡
