Takoyaki

Ingredients

• •1 cup flour
• •2 cups dashi
• •2 eggs
• •1 tbsp soy sauce
• •1 cup octopus, cooked and diced
• •3 scallions, chopped
• •2 tbsp vegetable oil, for the pan
• •1/4 cup okonomiyaki sauce
• •2 tbsp mayonnaise
• •2 tbsp bonito flakes
• •1 tbsp beni shoga, chopped

Steps

1. 1.Whisk the flour, dashi, eggs, and soy sauce together into a thin, pourable batter. Let rest for 30 minutes so the flour fully hydrates.
2. 2.Heat a takoyaki pan over medium-high heat until smoking hot, then brush the oil generously into each mold.
3. 3.Fill each mold completely with batter, letting it overflow slightly onto the surface of the pan, then drop a piece of octopus and a pinch of scallion into each.
4. 4.Once the batter at the bottom of each mold is set and lightly crisp, use skewers or chopsticks to cut and rotate each ball a quarter turn, tucking in the overflow batter as you go.
5. 5.Continue rotating each ball a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes, letting any excess raw batter pour out and re-set each time - this repeated rotation, not a single flip, is what builds takoyaki into a round shell around a molten center.
6. 6.Keep rotating for 8-10 minutes total, until each ball is a crisp, golden sphere.
7. 7.Transfer to a plate and drizzle with the okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, then top with bonito flakes and beni shoga.