Takoyaki

Method

1. 1 Boil the octopus for 3 minutes until just firm, let it cool, then cut it into 1 cm cubes; chop the scallions finely.
2. 2 Beat the eggs with the dashi broth, then sift in the flour and stir until completely dissolved into a milky batter — the batter needs to be thin so the dumplings are soft and moist inside.
3. 3 Heat the takoyaki mold, grease each hole thoroughly with oil, fill the mold completely with batter, and place one octopus ball and some chopped green onion in each hole.
4. 4 Bake for 3 minutes until the edges of the dough set, use a skewer to cut off the excess dough and rotate each piece 90 degrees so that the raw dough drains to the bottom.
5. 5 Rotate the dough ball continuously for another 7 minutes until it is perfectly round, with a golden, crispy crust and a soft, runny interior.
6. 6 Arrange on a plate, spread with takoyaki sauce, drizzle with Japanese mayonnaise, and sprinkle with shaved bonito flakes so the flakes bob and float on the hot pancake.

With an appliance

• Oven 42 min

  Replace steps 4-5: Pour the batter into preheated mini muffin tins, bake on the middle rack of the oven at 220 degrees for 9 minutes, then rotate the tray at the 5th minute; there's no need to rotate each muffin individually, but the muffins will have a flat bottom and be less soggy in the center.