A couple of years ago a good friend of mine gave me an electric takoyaki maker for my birthday. Takoyaki literally translated means octopus fried, but takoyaki isn’t just fried octopus – it’s a tiny, piping hot ball of batter filled with green onions, ginger, crispy tempura bits and octopus. It’s crisp, it’s gooey, it’s delicious.

Takoyaki is one of Osaka’s quintessential street foods. Thankfully for us, you don’t have to travel to Osaka for takoyaki – they’re basically found everywhere in Japan and are quite popular in North America too. If you ever come across a takoyaki stand stay awhile and check out the takoyaki makers. They’re mesmerizing.

Professional takoyaki makers have rows and rows of cast iron pans with half spherical molds. A dashi flavoured batter is poured into the molds and then each ball gets a piece of octopus, some ginger, and green onions. When the bottom of the balls are cooked, they’re flipped with skewers so that the inside batter flows out to create the other side of the ball. It’s amazing to watch a real takoyaki maker. They’re fast, furious and churn out the little balls like there’s no tomorrow.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Ingredients
Takoyaki Mix

3 large eggs lightly beaten
4.25 cups cold water
2 tsp instant dashi
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2.5 cups all purpose flour about 300g
Takoyaki Filling
1/2 lb boiled octopus 0.5″ cubed
1 bunch green onions sliced
1 cup tempura bits or rice krispies
beni shoga/pickled ginger if desired
shredded or cubed cheese if desired
Takoyaki Toppings
mayo preferably Japanese/Kewpie Brand
takoyaki sauce
bonito flakes
aonori or seaweed strips
Special Equipment
Takoyaki Pan

Instructions
Beat the eggs and add the water and stock granules. Add the egg-water-dashi mixture to the flour and salt and mix well. Heat up your pan and oil the individual compartments with a oil brush or use a paper towel dipped in oil.
When the pan is hot, pour the batter into the individual compartments up to the top. Don’t worry if the batter over flows a bit.
Add green onions, your protein, tempura bits/rice krispies, ginger, and shredded cheese (if using).

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Ingredients
Takoyaki Mix

3 large eggs lightly beaten
4.25 cups cold water
2 tsp instant dashi
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2.5 cups all purpose flour about 300g
Takoyaki Filling
1/2 lb boiled octopus 0.5″ cubed
1 bunch green onions sliced
1 cup tempura bits or rice krispies
beni shoga/pickled ginger if desired
shredded or cubed cheese if desired
Takoyaki Toppings
mayo preferably Japanese/Kewpie Brand
takoyaki sauce
bonito flakes
aonori or seaweed strips
Special Equipment
Takoyaki Pan

Instructions
Beat the eggs and add the water and stock granules. Add the egg-water-dashi mixture to the flour and salt and mix well. Heat up your pan and oil the individual compartments with a oil brush or use a paper towel dipped in oil.
When the pan is hot, pour the batter into the individual compartments up to the top. Don’t worry if the batter over flows a bit.
Add green onions, your protein, tempura bits/rice krispies, ginger, and shredded cheese (if using).

A couple of years ago a good friend of mine gave me an electric takoyaki maker for my birthday. Takoyaki literally translated means octopus fried, but takoyaki isn’t just fried octopus – it’s a tiny, piping hot ball of batter filled with green onions, ginger, crispy tempura bits and octopus. It’s crisp, it’s gooey, it’s delicious.

Takoyaki is one of Osaka’s quintessential street foods. Thankfully for us, you don’t have to travel to Osaka for takoyaki – they’re basically found everywhere in Japan and are quite popular in North America too. If you ever come across a takoyaki stand stay awhile and check out the takoyaki makers. They’re mesmerizing.

Professional takoyaki makers have rows and rows of cast iron pans with half spherical molds. A dashi flavoured batter is poured into the molds and then each ball gets a piece of octopus, some ginger, and green onions. When the bottom of the balls are cooked, they’re flipped with skewers so that the inside batter flows out to create the other side of the ball. It’s amazing to watch a real takoyaki maker. They’re fast, furious and churn out the little balls like there’s no tomorrow.