From Osaka’s Streets to Dodger Stadium to Parties at Home: Takoyaki is a Favorite Snack
The city of Osaka is home to a number of beloved “soul foods,” from its okonomiyaki “pancakes” to kushikatsu “fried skewers”. Another local favorite that is garnishing increasing appreciation for its simple, tasty approach to a quick snack or a party centerpiece is takoyaki. This tasty street food consists of small bits of octopus, dropped into a batter of flour, eggs, dashi, and a few other ingredients, and grilled in a specialized pan while being formed into round, bite-sized pieces. Love for this combination of a fluffy exterior with a moist, flavorful inside has spread far beyond Osaka: in fact, one outlet selling these has become a popular stop for baseball fans in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, home of the Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Tsukiji Gindaco stand is a popular stop for baseball fans at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Takoyaki’s origins are relatively recent. Its early twentieth-century ancestor was a similarly shaped ball of dough filled with beef or konjac (devils tongue) called rajioyaki (named after the popular new electronic marvel of the day—the radio). According to legend, an Osakan street vendor named Endo Tomekichi, exchanged octopus bits for the beef in 1935, giving birth to the style of takoyaki enjoyed today.
Japanese festival goers, of course, will find the octopus treat inevitably sold at outdoor stands, served in the traditional boat-like paper dishes, and drizzled with sauce and toppings. It is also sold in specialty restaurants, supermarkets, and convenience stores. But the most popular chain of takoyaki stands is Tsukiji Gindaco, with about 500 locations in Japan and a growing number overseas. Yuji Ichimura is responsible for educating every one of Tsukiji Gindaco’s employees in the intricate moves that go into making each batch of takoyaki.
The Tsukiji Gindaco counter outside the Tsukiji main office serves a broad clientele, from busy office workers to tourists from overseas.
This street food makes a great snack; digging into some of Tsukiji Gindaco’s original-style takoyaki on a Tokyo street corner.
Ichimura believes that the appeal of takoyaki starts with its size, a healthy mouthful, and the fact that it can be enjoyed eaten alone or with friends in all kinds of situations. It also comes from the simple basic ingredients, starting with the octopus. “We did research into other main ingredients,” he said. “But the octopus is the best. It’s cooked very lightly, so the flavor isn’t too assertive, and goes well with the soft dough.” Tsukiji Gindaco’s bits of octopus are quite large, offering a real bite— “Each one is cut by hand to a uniform size,” says Ichimura.
Yuji Ichimura is responsible for training all the takoyaki cooks at Tsukiji Gindaco.
The cooking process is deceptively simple, particularly when deftly demonstrated by Ichimura. As he moves through his paces, he explains the ingredients and what is behind them. The dough batter comes first, poured into the pre-oiled takoyaki griddle in rows of eight balls each. The tip for wanna-be takoyaki makers here is to get the griddle hot. “It might be hard at home without professional equipment,” says Ichimura. “But try to get it as hot as possible—the hotter the better.”
He has more tips for making the batter. “The ratio of flour to water in the traditional, Osaka-style, is 1:4,” he says. “But we use a ratio of about one to three, to make the crust firm with a balanced thickness inside, and I suggest that ratio for home-makers as well. We also use dashi, eggs and other ingredients in the batter.”
The batter is poured into the griddle’s round depressions (left) and shortly thereafter, the octopus pieces are placed in each one (right).
After the octopus bits are dropped into each round depression in the griddle, Ichimura also adds bits of tenkasu (fried tempura flour), benishoga (red-dyed ginger slivers) and a little spring onions. “The tenkasu embraces the oil and helps thicken the insides, the red ginger is there to enhance the flavor with a slightly tangy taste (and add color), and the fresh spring onions add aroma and flavor when heated,” says Ichimura.
The next step is to begin molding the cooking batter and ingredients into a ball. “Start when the batter has set,” says Ichimura. “Take your time and let the surface dry out a bit. I like to wait until the surface hardens and the skin around it takes on a light, fox-brown color.” As he scrapes the excess batter into the depressions, and expertly rotates the contents, each takoyaki begins to take on their unmistakable shape and color. The last step in the process is unique to Tsukiji Gindaco. “Our finishing touch is to add more oil to the griddle at the end to make the skin crispy,” he says. “It creates more of a contrast between the crisp outside and the moist interior.”
Pointed utensils are used to gather the contents into a ball and rotate them so they are cooked all around.
The final step is to add oil to the griddle and rotate the takoyaki pieces so the outside becomes a crisp contrast to the moist inside.
When Ichimura finishes rotating the balls they are almost glowing, shimmering from the oil, and he quickly places eight of them in each of the traditional containers—made from a paper-thin sheet of wood. With a wooden Japanese brush, he covers them in sauce, a dusting of seaweed and a garnish of finely shaven bonito flakes that shiver as they cool. Packets of mayonnaise are included for diners to add as they see fit. This is the traditional style of takoyaki on Tsukiji Gindaco’s menu. “It’s the standard, and has always been the most popular of our offerings,” says Ichimura. “It is also the most popular among our foreign clientele.”
The most traditional style of Tsukiji Gindaco’s takoyaki, topped with sauce, a dusting of seaweed and bonito shavings.
It is one of four staples on the Tsukiji Gindaco menu, along with other favorites like one topped with cheese and special spicy fish roe mayonnaise, Teritama with teriyaki sauce and egg and Negidaiko, topped with spring onions and served with grated daikon and tempura sauce. Because the flavor of the main ingredients is so subtle, takoyaki go well with any number of toppings. According the Ichimura, there are from seven to ten varieties on the menu at any one time, including collaboration products—and some are only offered for a limited time. The menu is slightly different for Tsukiji Gindaco shops abroad, with some toppings developed locally, and some in Japan. “We developed a product in Japan called Cheese and Guacamole for sale at our stand at Dodger Stadium,” says Ichimura. “It has a guacamole spread with a cheese topping and has become very popular. We got requests to offer the same thing in Japan, so we did sell that here for a time.”
Takoyaki is becoming increasingly popular overseas, particularly in Asia. Tsukiji Gindaco’s overseas shops all offer the original menu with the same sauces found in Japan, but there are varieties developed for the local diet, such as halal versions. “When I went to help set up shop in Indonesia, I always served the original takoyaki with sambal chili sauce, which the locals often put on top,” says Ichimura. Other original toppings include cheese and salsa, and tempura and sweet soy sauce, which are only sold at Dodger Stadium.
He hopes to see the popularity of takoyaki spread world-wide, perhaps as part of the home entertainment culture. In Japan, takoyaki parties have become a popular way to share time together with friends or family. Many homes have their own takoyaki hot plates, either electric or, used with gas burners—the style recommended by Ichimura. “It’s a fun way to gather around and do something fun and lively,” says Ichimura. “People can get creative with new ingredients and new ideas. They can see who is best at cooking them in the correct shape, and laugh at the results.”
Hot plates are used to heat the griddle for making takoyaki at home, whether for family get-togethers or parties with friends.
Ichimura’s message for lovers of takoyaki who live overseas is a simple one. “Localization is fine in the case of takoyaki,” he says. “If everyone comes up with a new idea for a takoyaki topping, or even what to put inside, I think we’ll eventually see many very enjoyable varieties. Think of it as an interesting challenge, like my sambal sauce for the Indonesian market. In the end, it was delicious!”
