The Takoyaki Topic

[duckduck]

About half way down this thread is a discussion of sweet filings for what we call abelskivers. I've thought recently about trying them filled with a warm mixture of bananas, butter and brown sugar, similiar to bananas foster.

Thank you for the reply, Hiroyuki!

Edited March 30, 2006 by duckduck (log)

[jkonick]

Processed cheese.  I think natural cheese is no good because it melts so easily.  Has anyone tried natural cheese?

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I made some takoyaki with a mochi/cheddar cheese filling the other night. The cheese was natural cheddar, and it turned out pretty well. It melted quickly, but the cheese that "escaped the takoyaki formed a sort of crust on the outside that kept the rest of the cheese in. The combo of mochi/cheese was good too, very gooey. Here are some pictures:

You can see the cheese "crust" on these ones

[Hiroyuki]

Processed cheese.  I think natural cheese is no good because it melts so easily.  Has anyone tried natural cheese?

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I made some takoyaki with a mochi/cheddar cheese filling the other night. The cheese was natural cheddar, and it turned out pretty well. It melted quickly, but the cheese that "escaped the takoyaki formed a sort of crust on the outside that kept the rest of the cheese in. The combo of mochi/cheese was good too, very gooey. Here are some pictures:

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Thanks. Very interesting. I will try natural cheese on our next Takoyaki Day.

[torakris]

Takoyaki proving an unexpected hit in Britain

Christophers' success belies a hesitant start. He feared octopus might not appeal to many Britons, so he experimented with dumplings filled with vegetables, chocolate and chicken.

But his test marketing of the authentic takoyaki with students and the general public proved to be a hit.

"We found that the most popular one was the traditional takoyaki with octopus. A lot of people were willing to try it and there was a very positive reaction," Christophers said.

[smallworld]

I often see vendors making something sweet smelling in what looks like takoyaki molds, I think it involves walnuts? It smells just like taiyaki but is in balls, haven't tried it yet.

With walnuts? In Japan?

Sounds like hodo kwaja, Korean walnut cake. Does it look like this?

If so, you have to tell me where you've seen them! They are one of my all-time favourite sweets, but I've never been able to find them outside of Toronto.

[_john]

I often see vendors making something sweet smelling in what looks like takoyaki molds, I think it involves walnuts? It smells just like taiyaki but is in balls, haven't tried it yet.

With walnuts? In Japan?

Sounds like hodo kwaja, Korean walnut cake. Does it look like this?

If so, you have to tell me where you've seen them! They are one of my all-time favourite sweets, but I've never been able to find them outside of Toronto.

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I have had kwaja before, I really like them as well. These were not made with the typical kwaja mould, they were made with what looked like a takoyaki mould but on closer inspection the round molds were a little oblong. They were essentially kasutera balls with walnuts. I wouldn't be surprised if this was an attempt to adapt to the korean tastes in the area because I most often see them at tsuruhashi station in osaka which has the biggest korean open market in Japan, I think.

I could probably find a kwaja mould if you are interested. I will also be in Seoul for a few weeks pretty soon on a convoluted visa run / food tourism and am writing a list of things I should get whole over there.

[jeniac42]

I've been craving takoyaki at least once a day for the past year or so. I haven't been able to get any where I am. The other day, I was watching TV and lo and behold, I see an ad for The Pancake Puff which looks for all the world like a takoyaki pan. At $20 it seems like a good value compared to the pans I have found on the internet, but I just don't know.

Check out some of the suggested uses for the Pancake Puff! Sure is... interesting.

Need to find some takoyaki now....

[Hiroyuki]

Do you remember that jkonick posted about using an aebelskiver pan to make takoyaki here?

I wonder which is cheaper, an aebelskiver pan or the pan you showed us.

[GlorifiedRice]

You can get frozen Ajinomoto brand Takoyaki in a pinch

[nakedsushi]

This thread made me crave for it, so I picked up a frozen package from the local Japanese grocery. Pretty good, but not very crunchy thanks to the microwave.

[BarbaraY]

Mmmmm! Takoyaki! I hade my first taste of it at a street fair in San Francisco two years ago. I want more. May have to get a cooker of my own since it's a long trip for me.

[jkonick]

Jeniac42: I found this on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/506XG4015-Takoyaki-P...79107709&sr=8-1

It's an actual takoyaki pan, and not much more expensive than the one you found. I actually got mine at Uwajimaya, a Japanese grocery store in Seattle, I think for around the same price. The only problem with using an aebelskiver/other non-takoyaki specific pan, is that the indentations might be too big. But I mean, it's not like really big takoyaki would be all that much of a tragedy!

[Chihiran]

I've been craving takoyaki at least once a day for the past year or so.  I haven't been able to get any where I am.  The other day, I was watching TV and lo and behold, I see an ad for The Pancake Puff which looks for all the world like a takoyaki pan.  At $20 it seems like a good value compared to the pans I have found on the internet, but I just don't know.

Check out some of the suggested uses for the Pancake Puff!  Sure is... interesting. 

Need to find some takoyaki now....

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I use my takoyaki pan for pancakes so I'm sure it works both ways. Although I have no idea about prices.

And with all respect to food scientists, I don't know how they'd ever do a real frozen takoyaki

[GlorifiedRice]

http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x273/GlorifiedRice/

Look at the first 3 pics on my photo album...

Assi Plaza International Market

on 1216 Welsh Road in Lansdale, Pa just installed a Yakibon

Takoyaki restaurant stand inside the market.

They make several different flavors and they call them Yakibon...

You can see the flavor menu and the woman making them in the stand in my pic gallery.

I didnt buy any as I wanted to save my calories for boiled squid, kimbap and this yummy beef fried vermicelli dish...

Assi is open 7 days a week

http://www.lotteplaza.com/

Edited January 13, 2008 by GlorifiedRice (log)

[_john]

but there is no octopus "yakibon"!

[GlorifiedRice]

Ya know? I didnt even notice that!

[prasantrin]

but there is no octopus "yakibon"! 

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Maybe that's why they didn't call it "takoyaki"???

[torakris]

We had a takoyaki party at a friend's house two weeks ago, 3 families (14 people) and 200+ takoyaki. (sorry, cell phone photos)

[Hiroyuki]

They look good, but as for me, I would leave out the beni shoga (I'd like to have it as a topping) and replace the negi with cabbage.

[heidih]

We had a takoyaki party at a friend's house two weeks ago, 3 families (14 people) and 200+ takoyaki. (sorry, cell phone photos)

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These things keep popping up on alot of threads and as an octopus lover, I am getting close to searching some out. My question though is on the shape. The mould is a half circular depression, so how does the end product come out round? Do they slap two together or??? Thank you for the photos.

[torakris]

These things keep popping up on alot of threads and as an octopus lover, I am getting close to searching some out. My question though is on the shape. The mould is a half circular depression, so how does the end product come out round? Do they slap two together or??? Thank you for the photos.

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I had the same questions when I first saw them and it isn't until you actually make (preferably with someone who has done it before) that it makes sense. The following observations are completely my own so if anyone else knows better please speak up!

The important thing is too overfill the molds this way the batter goes onto the hot plate part in between the mold and starts to cook. When the bottoms have cooked you turn the takoyaki over (we used bamboo skewers) scraping the cooked bits into the underside as you turn them. This gives them a little more 'filling' and when they are flipped some of the uncooked batter on the inside falls back into the mold giving the off half a nice round shape as well. Once the round shape is formed you can turn them a couple times to get the outside as browned as you like.

[heidih]

I had the same questions when I first saw them and it isn't until you actually make (preferably with someone who has done it before) that it makes sense. The following observations are completely my own so if anyone else knows better please speak up!

The important thing is too overfill the molds this way the batter goes onto the hot plate part in between the mold and starts to cook. When the bottoms have cooked you turn the takoyaki over (we used bamboo skewers) scraping the cooked bits into the underside as you turn them. This gives them a little more 'filling' and when they are flipped some of the uncooked batter on the inside falls back into the mold giving the off half a nice round shape as well. Once the round shape is formed you can turn them a couple times to get the outside as browned as you like.

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Thank you. I do see what you mean about kind of scooping the overthrow in. I have been checking out the aebleskiver pans at the swap meet and thinking I should give it a try as they have a similar shape in a cast iron pan.

[JasonTrue]

Just out of curiosity, is anyone a fan of "Ueno-yaki", the massive, tennis-ball shaped thing that seems to be a variant of tako-yaki?

[Hiroyuki]

Just out of curiosity, is anyone a fan of "Ueno-yaki", the massive, tennis-ball shaped thing that seems to be a variant of tako-yaki?

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What is Ueno-yaki? I've never heard of it...

[JasonTrue]

Well, I've only seen it in Ame-yoko in Ueno, so I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it seemed very similar to ika-yaki or tako-yaki at a glance, except that it was about the size of a tennis ball. Normal takoyaki is, of course, only about the size of a golf ball.

I might be recalling the name incorrectly. I was curious about it because although I never noticed it before, on my October/November trip there were at least 3 street vendors selling it.

What is Ueno-yaki?  I've never heard of it...

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