Takoyaki
A light, dashi-forward batter gets cooked in a takoyaki pan until golden and sphere-shaped, wrapped around juicy pieces of sashimi-grade octopus. Finished with takoyaki sauce, Kewpie mayo, bonito, and seaweed flakes, these street-style bites nail the sweet–savory–smoky balance.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make the Dashi
Bring 3 cups water to a bare simmer. Add kombu and simmer gently 5–7 minutes (don’t boil hard). Turn off heat, add bonito flakes, cover, and steep 5–10 minutes. Strain; discard solids.
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Mix the Batter
In a bowl, whisk flour, eggs, and 2 cups dashi until smooth and runny—thinner than pancake batter. Add more dashi a little at a time if thick.
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Prep the Fillings
Dice octopus into small bite-size pieces. Slice green onions (white/light green). Keep ready.
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Heat and Oil the Pan
Preheat the takoyaki pan over medium to medium-high. Brush each well with butter or oil until glossy and hot.
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Fill the Wells
Pour batter to fill each well and slightly overflow the surface (it’s okay if it sheets across the pan). Drop one octopus piece into each well and sprinkle in green onion.
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Form the Balls
When the bottoms set and lightly brown, use a pick/toothpick to cut the batter between wells, then rotate each piece 90° to tuck uncooked batter underneath. Continue rotating in increments until spheres form and surfaces are golden and crisp.
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Make the Sauce
While a batch cooks, stir together Worcestershire, soy, ketchup, mirin, and honey until glossy.
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Sauce and Serve
Transfer takoyaki to a plate/bowl. Spoon over takoyaki sauce, zigzag Kewpie mayo, shower with bonito flakes and aonori. Serve hot.
Note
Runny batter = custardy center. If your batter isn’t thin, add more dashi 1–2 tbsp at a time.
Heat control. Too hot burns before the center sets; too low won’t crisp. Medium–medium-high is the sweet spot—adjust as you go.
Rotate early and often. Start turning as soon as the bottom sets to “wrap” flowing batter around the filling for rounder balls.
Don’t overfill with octopus. One piece per ball gives good chew without breaking structure.
Pan lube matters. Brush oil/butter between batches so they release cleanly and brown evenly.
Make-ahead dashi. Dashi keeps 3–4 days refrigerated; you can mix batter right before cooking.
No kombu/bonito? In a pinch, use instant dashi powder per packet instructions.
