Tako tako takoyaki!

I decided to test out my 'Dutch pancake maker' and made some takoyaki. :D


Nowhere on the box or in the manual, does it say it can make takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls). But it clearly was meant for it. Haha. There's a little picture of an octopus holding a takoyaki etched onto the pan! :P


Oh, and I love how the pan is detachable so you can actually give it a good clean. I was afraid that the set temperature wouldn't be good enough to make takoyaki and was hoping to be able to use the detachable pan over a stovetop one day (not sure if that's possible or not though). But the takoyaki turned out great! :) The pan does get extremely hot though!

Takoyaki
Makes approx 50

400g self raising flour
20g dashi stock powder (I used Shimaya Dashinomoto bonito flavoured soup stock, 2 x10g packets)
600ml warm water
105g eggs (2 eggs), lightly beaten
half a bunch of spring onions, washed and chopped finely
700g baby octopus, cleaned, cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces
oil/margarine/butter for greasing pan

Mix dashi into the warm water and allow to cool.

Sift flour into a large bowl.
Add the dashi and the eggs and mix until combined.
Add in spring onions and octopus. Mix.

Preheat greased takoyaki maker for 2-3mins.
Spoon approx 1 tbsp of mixture into each hole and allow a to cook for about 5-10 minutes.


Using bamboo skewers or long toothpicks (anything that isn't metal as the pan is nonstick and will scratch), carefully turn the takoyaki over.
Continue cooking and turning until takoyaki are crispily golden brown and cooked through.


Serve immediately with Japanese mayonnaise, takoyaki sauce and dried bonito flakes.


You can freeze any leftover takoyaki balls and just pan fry them later on.

Seafood okonomiyaki

I bought an omelette pan the other day from Big W. It was on sale for $17.98 and I thought it was cute, so I had to buy it. Mum was there with me. She didn't think I was crazy. I'm not crazy! I like my kitchenware. I like my electrical appliances. I like my bakeware! :D


Anywho, I bought it so I could make pancakes and okonomiyaki. It's a two-sided pan, so you can easily flip and cook both sides. Genius, isn't it?

So I made okonomiyaki for dinner..

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, Okonomiyaki) is a Japanese dish consisting of a pan-fried batter cake and various ingredients. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba); thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like". In Japan, okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. - Wikipedia


How many? One..? No. For the whole family! :)
Today, I made lunch (chicken, avocado, spinach, cucumber and cheese in a grilled panini) and dinner (okonomiyaki). Plus dessert or what could have been breakfast (the muffins). Hehe.


Seafood okonomiyaki
Makes about 9-10 thick 11cm diameter okonomiyaki

2 cups selfraising flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
10g (1 sachet) dashi (see below)
1 egg, lightly beaten
500gm baby octopus
a few prawns and some seafood mix
10 leaves of chinese cabbage
2 cups of chopped spring onions

Chop the chinese cabbage into ~1cm thin pieces. Boil until cooked.
Then drain and allow to cool.
Cook the baby octopus in boiling water. Allow to cool, then chop into bite sized pieces.
Cook the prawns and seafood mix in a similar matter (I used leftovers from sushi).

Mix the dashi into the warm water.

This is the dashi I used. You can get it from an asian grocer in the Japanese section. Oh. This one has MSG. There's also a version without MSG. Read the box before you buy.

Sift flour in a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the middle and add the dashi and egg. Mix until smooth. Add in cabbage, spring onion, octopus, prawns and seafood mix and combine well.

Lightly grease a pan with oil on first use. Put two tablespoons of batter (or more or less depending on the size you wish to make). Cook on one side until you start seeing bubbles forming. Flip over to the other side. I had to cook on low heat because the okonomiyaki were thick and my pan was small. Both sides should be cooked until golden brown and cooked on the inside. It may take a few minutes depending on the size of your pan/okonomiyaki.

Serve hot with Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise, Otafuku Okonomi sauce and bonito flakes. (You can buy them from asian grocers aswell, again, in the Japanese section)


I like my omelette pan. :) But. The okonomiyaki were too perfect in shape.. which is a bit odd. I'm not sure I like it that way. I think they look better when they were unique in shape and not all the same.