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The Takoyaki Topic


prasantrin

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I've seen bigger takoyaki but they were always called something generic like "jumbo takoyaki". In the restaurant supply district of osaka they have a few sizes of professional takoyaki grills. One I saw recently doesn't require the balls to be turned with a pick. There is a second matching grill that folds over the first one like closing a book and then they are flipped into that one. It seemed a lot faster. The guy said it can produce a really liquidy creamy center. Here is a takoyaki ranking for osaka. I've been to most of the top ones but none of them are worth the wait in line in my opinion. And some of them are quite expensive!

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Does anyone know what the difference is between the special "takoyaki flour" and just regular flour? Are there any major differences in the final product?

I just got a takoyaki pan and am going to be making them for the first time (and about 10 people!) this weekend. Will also be putting ebi in some because I'm not sure how adventurous everyone is. In that event, I'm assuming I should cook the ebi first?

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Takoyaki flour is probably takoyaki mix. It will have other ingredients other than flour. Something along the lines of katsuo extract, salt, msg, baking powder. You probably have to add egg. Here is a simple takoyaki batter recipe:

flour:50g 

egg:1

dashi:250ml

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Does anyone know what the difference is between the special "takoyaki flour" and just regular flour? Are there any major differences in the final product?

I just got a takoyaki pan and am going to be making them for the first time (and about 10 people!) this weekend. Will also be putting ebi in some because I'm not sure how adventurous everyone is. In that event, I'm assuming I should cook the ebi first?

Not all premade takoyaki mixes are the same, but most of them contain dashi and other flavorings. Some contain grated yamaimo (mountain potatoes).

If you decide to use regular flour, it should preferably be a low-gluten one (cake flour?).

Should ebi be cooked first? I'm not sure, but considering the fact that when we make takoyaki, we use previously boiled octopus, probably you should cook it first.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

We spent the Golden Week holidays in Chiba and stopped at Umihotaru, the parking/ service area in the middle of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line. The Aqua-Line is the worldest longest underwater car tunnel and runs from Kawasaki to Chiba.

One of specialities that they sell are asari yaki, asari are a short neck clam that are found in Tokyo bay. The asari yaki look just like takoyaki but have the clams inside.

Here is a picture, scroll down to the middle of the page.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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  • 4 months later...

A flyer in my newspaper a couple days ago was advertising an Osaka Fair (with foods) at the Tokyu department store in Shibuya this month. One of the pictures of the foods was a dish called kurotako (黒たこ-black octopus), this was a new one for me.

Apparently it is takoyaki made with squid ink in the batter. Has anyone had this? How is it? Does it turn your teeth black like most other foods made with squid ink?

ETA lots of pictures here

Edited by torakris (log)

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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A flyer in my newspaper a couple days ago was advertising an Osaka Fair (with foods) at the Tokyu department store in Shibuya this month. One of the pictures of the foods was a dish called kurotako (黒たこ-black octopus), this was a new one for me.

Apparently it is takoyaki made with squid ink in the batter. Has anyone had this? How is it? Does it turn your teeth black like most other foods made with squid ink?

ETA lots of pictures here

I've had Kurotako before, its not that bad, but I know some Kansai people who think its a horrible bastardization of takoyaki. But it supposedly first started in Osaka at Hankyu's Snackpark at the Umeda store. It has a lot more koku then the other takoyaki, and its not that bad, it won't smear your teeth like Spaghetti Nero di Seppia; but the particles are black and they can get stuck between your teeth.

Personally, I like the chobo-yaki(ちょぼ焼き) takoyaki-variant they sell along side the kuro-tako at Hankyu more. Essentially they use the entire mold to make the chobo-yaki (and use udon-flour) and fill it with konyaku, noodles, etc.

http://images.google.com/images?q=%E3%81%A...m=1&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.shirohato.com/kukuru/choboyaki.html

I would think you could probably just use the "ikasumi pasta" packs they sell and mix it into the takoyaki batter to make kuro-tako at home.

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Hi Temple,

Thank you for the information! This was completely new for me.

That chobo-yaki also looks really interesting, I saw a couple references to it when i was looking for information on the kurotako but was having a hard time figuring out exactly what it was. Your pictures and description have helped immensely.

I think I may make a trip to the Osaka fair at Tokyu some time this month....

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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  • 1 month later...

After making takoyaki with friends a while back I have been wanting to try them at home for some time. We finally made them!

All the ingredients poured into the takoyaki hotplate

gallery_6134_5519_361916.jpg

Making the first flip

gallery_6134_5519_115445.jpg

Almost ready!

gallery_6134_5519_202373.jpg

Not the best picture but sauced and ready to be eaten

gallery_6134_5519_254526.jpg

This is definitely more fun as a party, it took a lot longer to cook than I remember and this kids got tired of waiting and went to play the Wii... :wink:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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