Takoyaki Without A Pan Recipes

TAKOYAKI

Steps:

• Whisk together the Dashi and eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk just until smooth. Transfer the batter to a 1-quart measuring cup or bowl with a spout for easy pouring.
• Heat a takoyaki pan over medium heat (see Cook's Note). Generously grease the "holes" and the entire surface using a pastry brush. Fill each hole about three-fourths of the way with batter (see Cook's Note). Working quickly, place the following in each hole: 2 to 3 pieces of octopus, a pinch of scallions, a pinch of tenkasu and a pinch of beni shoga. (If you find that the batter is cooking too quickly, reduce the heat a bit. It may take a few tries to get the timing down.)
• Top off each hole with a little more batter - it's fine if it overflows a bit. Let cook until the bottom of each takoyaki is set but the inside is still wet, about 3 minutes. Working quickly, use 1or 2 skewers or chopsticks (I find it easier with 2) to turn each takoyaki about 90 degrees, cutting through any batter on the surface between the holes and "scraping" it into each hole as you go, forming a rough ball shape. Let any batter run out of the balls and when it starts to set, turn the balls completely over and cook, regularly rotating them until they are evenly golden brown all over and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more (cooking time will depend on the size of the takayoki).
• Remove the balls to a platter, drizzle with takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise and then sprinkle with aonori and katsuobushi. Serve immediately and repeat with the remaining ingredients as needed.
• Combine the kombu and 3 cups cold water in a medium saucepan and let sit for about 30 minutes. (You can skip this step if you're short on time but it does lend a little extra flavor.) Heat over medium heat until the water comes to a near boil, but doesn't actually boil, about 5 minutes. Discard the kombu.
• Add the katsuobushi evenly over the water, bring to a boil over high heat and then immediately remove from the heat. Let steep for about 10 minutes without stirring.
• Pour the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or quart-size measuring cup. Do not press down on the katsuobushi, which can make the dashi cloudy and/or bitter.
• Dashi is best used the day it is made but can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 1/2 cups

TAKOYAKI WITHOUT A PAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Crack the eggs in a small mixing bowl and add the water as well as the stock granules, then beat the mix manually or with an egg beater. Pour the egg-water-stock granules mixture into the flour, then add salt and mix well (with an egg beater or manually) until you've successfully created the batter. If you don't have a mold, make the takoyaki dough and mix with the ingredients until the dough is malleable.
• Next, extend your dough to a thickness of about 2 cm. Cut it into pieces that are approximately 3×3 cm.
• Take each piece and add a piece of octopus in the middle. Wrap it with the dough. Mold it into a round ball and use flour on your hands so it doesn't stick.
• Fry the balls a few at a time in a pot of hot oil.
• Now we come to the part where you would place the dough in the Takoyaki pan and let it heat up. But since you likely won't have one on hand, as an alternative, you can take the batter you made and place them in ice trays, where you would then let them sit in the freezer for a few hours until they are frozen solid.
• When they're hard, you place them in the boiling oil. Let them fry until they're brown, but also be sure to make sure they don't melt. As the ingredients, like octopus, are usually precooked, the only thing you need to worry about when frying the frozen takoyaki is the crisp outside, so make sure to fry them a little longer until golden brown, but they should be done in around 5 minutes.