TAKOYAKI (Japan's Best Street Food)

octopus

🥗Healthier: squid

💰Cheaper: cooked shrimp

Squid is a lower-cost alternative, while shrimp is more widely available.

dashi stock

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water with soy sauce

Vegetable broth provides flavor without fish, and water with soy sauce is budget-friendly.

mayonnaise

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: sour cream

Greek yogurt offers a tangy flavor with fewer calories.

bonito flakes

🥗Healthier: smoked salmon

💰Cheaper: cooked chicken

Smoked salmon adds a similar umami flavor, while chicken is more economical.

Whisk or spin the takoyaki batter ingredients (water, dashi powder, baking powder, eggs, all-purpose flour) with an immersion blender to combine.

Add octopus to a large pot of very salty boiling water, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for an hour, checking halfway through to flip.

Allow octopus to cool, then remove head and beak, and cut into about ½”/1.5cm size chunks.

Combine Japanese BBQ sauce ingredients in a high-sided container and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

For Kewpie mayo, add all ingredients except oil to a high-sided container and blend, slowly drizzling in oil while blending until emulsified.

Preheat the takoyaki pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil or pan spray.

Fill each hole of the pan almost full with the takoyaki batter, reserving a little batter.

Sprinkle scallions, chopped pickled ginger, bonito flakes, and octopus into each ball of batter.

Cook for about a minute to set the bottom, then use a chopstick to rotate balls 90 degrees, adding reserved batter to fill any voids.

Continue cooking and rotating until evenly browned, about 1-2 minutes more.

Garnish and serve with Kewpie mayo, Japanese BBQ sauce, additional scallions, bonito flakes, and fried seaweed.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens