Grandma Ariko's Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)

Originally from Osaka, takoyaki is one of the most popular street foods in Japan. These golden bites have a soft, slightly gooey center and a rich, umami-packed filling!

Takoyaki is one of Japan’s most beloved street foods—savory, bite-sized pancake balls filled with tender pieces of octopus. If you’re ever traveling to Japan, they’re a must-try! In Japanese, tako means octopus and yaki means grilled or baked. My mom made the best takoyaki, and I was always so excited when she’d make it for lunch or as a snack. She flipped each ball like a pro, and since her pan could only make nine at a time, she’d keep the cooked ones warm in the rice cooker while making more.

You can make takoyaki from scratch like my mom used to, but I usually take a shortcut and use takoyaki or okonomiyaki mix from the Japanese grocery store. In Japan, takoyaki is typically served with a sweet-savory takoyaki sauce and a drizzle of mayo, but my mom always served it with soy sauce. Try both and see which one you like best!

Note:

• I usually use shrimp instead of octopus—just a little twist on tradition since octopus can be hard to find around here.

• Takoyaki sauce is very similar to okonomiyaki sauce, so if you already have okonomiyaki sauce in your refrigerator, you can use that as a substitute. Or, you can go with soy sauce, just like my mom used to do.

• You can find a takoyaki pan at most Japanese grocery stores—or even on Amazon!

make 18

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Ingredients

• 1C Takoyaki or Okonomiyaki flour mix (or 1C flour + 1 tsp dashi powder + 1 tsp baking powder)

• 1 large egg

• 1 1/2C water

• about 1/2C shrimp or octopus, cut into small pieces

• about 1/4~1/3C beni-shoga ((pickled red ginger), chopped

• about 1/2C tenkasu (tempura flakes)

• 2~3 green onion, finely chopped

• vegetable oil

• soy sauce, takoyaki sauce or okonomiyaki sauce

• Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise (optional)

• aonori (dried seaweed) (optional)

• katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (optional)

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Instructions

1. Mix water and egg in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, add the takoyaki flour mix, then whisk in the water-egg mixture until smooth and free of lumps. The batter should be fairly thin.

2. Generously coat the takoyaki pan with oil, covering both the holes and the top surface. Heat over high heat until the oil is very hot and begins to smoke.

3. Pour the batter into each hole of the pan, filling them completely. (I usually let the batter overflow slightly for better shaping.)

   

4. Drop shrimp or octopus pieces into the batter in each hole, then sprinkle green onions, tenkasu, and beni-shoga evenly across the pan.

   

5. Reduce the heat to low~medium and cook for 2~3 minutes. Use a takoyaki turner to separate the balls and flip them over. Cook for another 4~5 minutes, turning frequently until golden and evenly crisp. (It might take a bit of practice, but it’s really not that hard! Trust me—if I can do it, you can too!)

   

6. Serve the takoyaki with soy sauce or okonomiyaki sauce, then sprinkle with aonori (green dried seaweed) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). You can also drizzle with Japanese mayo for extra flavor.

   

   

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