Takoyaki (Grilled Octopus Balls)
User Reviews
4.7
282 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
15 mins
-
Cook Time
10 mins
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Total Time
25 mins
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Servings
26 pieces
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Calories
51 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Snacks
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Cuisine
Japanese
Takoyaki (Grilled Octopus Balls)
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Takoyaki are Japanese grilled octopus balls made from a batter of flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, soy sauce, and dashi stock, cooked in a specialized pan. Filled with diced octopus, green onions, pickled ginger, and tempura scraps, the balls develop a crisp exterior while remaining soft inside. Toppings like takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and seaweed complete this savory street-food snack.
Description
The recipe begins by preparing the filling, which includes finely ground dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi), sliced green onions, minced pickled red ginger, and bite-sized octopus pieces. The batter is created by whisking together all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, eggs, soy sauce, and dashi. This mixture yields a thin batter essential for takoyaki's texture.
Cooking takes place in a heated takoyaki pan at 400ºF, forming the batter into round balls around the filling. The exterior crisps up while the inside stays tender, contrasting textures typical of takoyaki. Tempura scraps add additional crunch within. After cooking, the balls are traditionally topped with takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, katsuobushi flakes, aonori seaweed, and pickled ginger, enhancing umami richness and freshness.
Takoyaki serves as a casual snack or appetizer and showcases a balance of flavors, textures, and traditional Japanese ingredients distinctive of this popular street food.
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup katsuobushi I use the type with bigger flakes, dried bonito flakes
- 2 green onion or scallions
- 1 Tbsp pickled red ginger aka beni shoga or kizami beni shoga
- 4.2 oz octopus found in Japanese grocery stores; or substitute with sausage, corn, edamame, cheese, small mochi pieces...the choices are endless!, sashimi, boiled
For the Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- 2 egg large, 50 g each, without shell
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1½ cups dashi use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi, Japanese soup stock
For Cooking
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- ⅓ cup tempura scraps aka tenkasu or agedama
For the Toppings
- ½ cup takoyaki sauce (make my Homemade Takoyaki Sauce or use tonkatsu sauce)
- mayonnaise Japanese Kewpie
- katsuobushi dried bonito flakes
- aonori dried green laver seaweed
- pickled red ginger aka beni shoga or kizami beni shoga
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Filling
- Grind ¼ cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) into a fine powder. Set aside; we‘ll use this powder when we‘re cooking the takoyaki.
- Cut 2 green onions/scallions into fine slices and mince 1 Tbsp pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga).
- Cut 4.2 oz octopus sashimi (boiled octopus) into ½-inch (1.3-cm) bite-sized pieces; cut into smaller pieces for kids so they can chew it more easily. I use the rangiri cutting technique.
To Make the Batter
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), 2 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and whisk it all together.
- Add 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1½ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock).
- Whisk it all together until well blended and transfer the batter to a measuring cup with a handle (or any other pitcher with a spout for easy pouring.)
To Cook the Takoyaki
- Heat the takoyaki pan to 400ºF (200ºC) over medium heat. Use a brush to generously grease the pan‘s rounded chambers and flat top surface with 2 Tbsp neutral oil. When smoke starts to rise, pour the batter to fill the chambers. It’s okay to slightly overfill the cavities. In the next steps, the batter will likely overflow as you add more ingredients to it.
- Add 1–3 octopus pieces, depending on their size, to each chamber and sprinkle on top the katsuobushi powder that you ground earlier.
- Sprinkle ⅓ cup tenkasu/agedama (tempura scraps), the green onion slices, and the chopped pickled red ginger on top. After 3 minutes or so, when the batter on the bottom has set and is slightly crisp, use skewers to break the connected batter between each chamber. Then, rotate each piece 90 degrees (a quarter turn) toward the bottom of the pan, stuffing the connected dough back into the ball as you turn it. The uncooked batter will flow out from inside to create another side of the ball. After you finish turning them, set a timer for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes, rotate them again, starting with the first ball: Turn each takoyaki another 90 degrees toward the bottom of the pan so the remaining uncooked batter pours out into the chamber to complete the ball shape. Home takoyaki griddles don‘t distribute heat evenly, so it’s a good idea to swap the balls around to different chambers so they brown evenly. After turning and cooking for another 4 minutes, they are done.
To Serve
- Transfer them onto a plate and drizzle ½ cup takoyaki sauce and Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise on top. Finish the dish with a sprinkling of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and aonori (dried green laver seaweed) and a side of pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga). Serve immediately. (But, be careful—they‘re VERY hot inside!)
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 2–3 weeks.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
51kcal
(3%)
Carbohydrates
5g
(2%)
Protein
2g
(4%)
Fat
2g
(3%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
17mg
(6%)
Sodium
124mg
(5%)
Potassium
33mg
(1%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
37IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
25mg
(3%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 26pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 51 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 51kcal | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | 5g | 2% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 2g | 3% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 17mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 124mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 33mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 37IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
282 reviews
Excellent
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