How to Make Takoyaki. No Takoyaki Pan? No Problem (Japanese Octopus Balls)

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Last month, I travelled to Tokyo. A friend to me to an izakaya – basically a Japanese pub – where I had Takoyaki, the classic Japanese octopus ball street food. Obviously, I fell in love with it and wanted to recreate it at home. The problem is that normally, you would require a special takoyaki pan and some pretty impressive ninja skills to make takoyaki. I found a foolproof workaround using ice cube trays. Hope you like it!
[There is also a video version of this recipe, helpful to have some visuals for technique!]

 
**Ingredients: Batter**
* 250g all purpose flour
* ½ tsp baking soda
* 400ml dashi stock, room temperature
* 2 eggs
* 1 tsp soy sauce
**Ingredients: Fillings (suggestion)**
* 1 cup minced white cabbage
* 1 cup minced spring onions
* 2 Tbsp benishouga (Japanese pickled ginger)
* ½ cup tenkasu (tempura bits)
* 1 cup boiled octopus, cut into bite-sized chunks
* neutral oil for frying (e.g. canola)
**Ingredients: Toppings**
* 2 Tbsp okonomi sauce / takoyaki sauce
* japanese mayo
* nori seaweed, crushed to flakes
* bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
**Method**
1. For the batter, combine dry ingredients first, then add wet ingredients and whisk into a thick batter. Note that the batter is significantly thicker than regular takoyaki batter to work with the technique in the recipe.
2. Add fillings of your choice and mix until combined evenly.
3. With the help of a spoon, transfer batter to whatever ice cube tray you have around. They should not be larger than classic takoyaki (about the size of a ping pong ball) in order to cook through later on. Smaller is OK.
4. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until completely solid. Remove from ice cube tray and store frozen in zip lock bag for up to a month until ready to cook.
5. Bring oil to 150 degrees Celsius and add frozen takoyaki.
6. Fry until deeply golden brown, keeping the temperature under 150 degrees. Transfer onto paper towel.
7. Transfer to a plate, drizzle with takoyaki sauce, mayo, nori and bonito flakes.
8. Enjoy takoyaki and don’t burn your tongue! 🙂