Takoyaki
Takoyaki are small ball-shaped bites resembling crêpe batter containing octopus. An Osaka speciality, this easy-to-eat dish is today one of the most sought-after elements of Japanese street food. Faced with this demand, many appliances or kitchen utensils are sold to make them yourself. Apart from the traditional version below, takoyaki can be varied endlessly. Why not be tempted by a frenchie version (with ham and Comté) or even make a sweet treat (melted chocolate, caramel, fruit...).
👥 serves 4
🥣 25 min preparation
🕒 15 min cooking
Ingredients
2 eggs
40 ml milk
600 ml water
200 g flour
Japanese mayonnaise
Oil
Octopus
Chopped chives
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 sachets of dashi
4 tablespoons nori flakes
2 tablespoons candied ginger
Bonito flakes
Okonomiyaki sauce
Method
- Mix the water, milk, soy sauce, eggs and dashi.
- Add the flour and mix well. The batter should be fairly liquid.
- Cut the octopus into small pieces and chop the chives.
- Oil the mould and pour the batter, filling each cavity.
- Add the octopus pieces, the marinated ginger in pieces and the chopped chives.
- Place the plate on the heat and regularly turn the takoyaki using 2 chopsticks to give them their round shape.
- When they're cooked, drizzle them with Japanese mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce and sprinkle with bonito flakes and nori flakes.
The tip 💡
If you don't have a special mould, a mini-muffin tin could do the job perfectly.
Find the recipe on Marmiton.
Yakitori
This name might ring more of a bell... And for good reason: this meat-and-cheese speciality is now an integral part of Japanese restaurant menus. But did you know that this skewer is none other than an emblem of "street food" in Japan? Developed in the 17th century, in the Edo period, the recipe causes a sensation although it's one of the simplest. Over to you!
© kanonn
👥 serves 4
🥣 30 min preparation
🕒 5 min cooking
Ingredients
400 g unmarinated beef carpaccio
400 g maasdam (cheese)
Yakitori sauce
Method
- Marinate the carpaccio slices in a bowl filled with Yakitori sauce for at least 10 minutes.
- Cut pieces of maasdam about 1 cm by 4 cm.
- Wrap the cheese pieces with the well-marinated beef and skewer them on skewer sticks.
- Cook on a grill or in a very hot pan, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
The tip 💡
Don't like beef? No problem — this recipe adapts to all meats as long as the pieces are finely cut. The chicken version is moreover one of the most popular.
Find the recipe on Marmiton.
Imagawayaki
And a little sweet touch to finish, with imagawayaki. A kind of pancake with a characteristic shape, they're traditionally filled with sweet azuki bean paste. They can, however, be varied and even turned into a savoury version with mayonnaise and potato. A recipe that comes to us straight from the 18th century.
© Gregg Tavares
👥 for 5 imagawayaki
🥣 10 min preparation
🕒 25 min cooking
Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
300 ml milk
240 g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
400 g red bean paste (anko)
Method
- Mix the eggs and the sugar. Add the honey and the milk. Whisk it all together.
- Incorporate the flour and the baking powder after sifting them, then the eggs.
- Mix well and let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, take 2 tablespoons of red bean paste and make a round disc with it.
- Heat a pan over low heat and lightly oil it.
- Fill a cup, which will equal 1 imagawayaki. Pour half of it into the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the bean-paste disc. Cook for 1 minute.
- In a second pan, cook the rest of the batter contained in the cup for 2 minutes.
- Put the batter with filling onto the empty batter. Press lightly and cook for 2 minutes.
The tip 💡
If you don't have small suitable pans (imagawayaki format), take larger pans and use metal cooking rings into which you'll pour the batter.
Enjoy your meal!
