00:01Hi everyone, today on Stachi I'm going to show you how to make a famous Japanese street food
00:05dish called takoyaki. Let's get started. So first I'm going to make an easy takoyaki sauce. Grab a
00:13bowl and add one and a half tablespoon of wish sauce, half tablespoon of tsuyu sauce or light
00:20soy sauce with a bit of sugar, half tablespoon of tomato ketchup and one tablespoon of honey.
00:31Mix those together until smooth and that's it. Very simple four ingredient takoyaki sauce.
00:39Next we're going to make the batter for the takoyaki. So let's start by pouring 500ml of
00:44cooled dashi into a mixing bowl. Add one teaspoon of tsuyu sauce or soy sauce and one egg then mix
00:52them together until combined. I have a recipe for homemade dashi so if you're interested please check
00:58it out. Next measure 100g of cake flour into a separate bowl and make a well in the centre.
01:10Pour the egg mixture in gradually and whisk as you go. This batter is surprisingly thin but that's
01:18because we want the takoyaki to be light and soft not dense and chewy. I was lazy and didn't sift
01:25my
01:25flour but it will get smoother faster if you sift it first. Once it's smooth it's ready to use.
01:34I've also prepared my fillings by cutting them into small bites or pieces. So here of course I have
01:41takoyaki or octopus, the classic filling where the dish gets its name. I also have some boiled shrimp for
01:48those who can't get kokutubus easily and king oyster mushrooms for vegetable option. I also have
01:55tempura flakes, chopped green onion and a red pickled ginger called benishogar. This one adds a nice tangy flavour.
02:06Right, let's start heating up the takoyaki pan. I'm using a stove top takoyaki pan but of course you can
02:12use the electric type if that's what you have.
02:15Hit on medium and add the generous amount of cooking oil. This is to make sure it doesn't stick
02:21and help crisp up the outside. Use a pastry brush or kitchen paper to coat each crevice evenly.
02:29Once it's hot, fill each crevice up about halfway. I transferred my batter into a jug for easy pouring.
02:46While it's raw, add the octopus pieces or fillings of your choice.
02:55Now we're going to fill the pan up to the top. Make sure it goes all around the edges too.
03:14sprinkle the top with the chopped green onion,
03:22benishogar
03:26and tempura flakes
03:32Once it starts to set, use a wooden skewer to start drawing lines between each crevice to separate them.
03:49When a surface underneath becomes golden, start turning them halfway. The easiest way to do this
03:56is using the skewer to scoop around the edge on one side. You can also scrape the messy bits around
04:03the edge into the middle of each takoyaki as you turn them. It will look a bit messy at this
04:09point
04:09but you've got to trust the process. Continue to turn them as they cook. If you do this gradually,
04:15you can't go wrong and all those bits around the edge can be stuffed inside.
04:30Once they're fully round, keep turning them until they're evenly golden all over.
04:41I love making takoyaki a little bit crispy, so I like to add another drizzle of oil. This is optional
04:48though.
04:49Also, if you notice that some are considerably darker than the others, swap them with the lighter ones to
04:56help all the takoyakis cook evenly. Japanese takoyaki is typically a little runny in the middle,
05:03so as long as your fillings are pre-cooked or safe to eat raw, you don't need to worry about
05:09cooking them for too long.
05:11Once they're done, transfer them to a plate.
05:19If you're making another batch, I recommend wiping the pan with kitchen paper
05:23to make sure there isn't anything burnt on from the previous batch. This recipe makes two batches
05:30for a 16-slot takoyaki pan. In this batch, I'm adding boiled shrimp and king oyster mushrooms.
05:39Shrimp are a great alternative to octopus because they still have that seafood flavour,
05:44but if you're looking for a vegetable alternative, king oyster mushrooms are surprisingly good because
05:51they have a chewy texture. Of course, you can add whatever you like. Things like cheese, mochi,
05:58or even mini hot dog sausages are popular choices in Japan. The next steps are the same process as before,
06:05so I'm going to skip forward and show you the end results. So here are my finished takoyaki with octopus,
06:12so I'm going to brush them with the homemade sauce from earlier. Then drizzle with Japanese mayonnaise
06:22and sprinkle with bonito flakes and Aonori powder.
06:32Thanks so much for watching. I love to hear about your favourite takoyaki fillings.
06:37Let me know in the comments. If you're looking for more ideas or a detailed guide on getting takoyaki pan,
06:44be sure to check out my blog. You can find the link on the screen now.
06:50Hope to see you in the next one. Have a great day.
