About the Recipe
Hey everyone, have you ever heard of Takoyaki? It's a popular Japanese street food that's typically made with a batter filled with diced octopus, topped with a sweet and savory sauce, and sprinkled with bonito fish flakes. It's textural delight between crispy, gooey, saucy, and chewy - sort of like a hush puppy.
While it may sound like a challenge to make a vegan version, I'm here to tell you that it's totally possible and just as delicious! Instead of using octopus, we'll be using a plant-based alternative that has the same texture and flavor. I promise you'll not only love the dish but have so much fun making them!
Now don't get discouraged but you will need a piece of special equipment that can be found on Amazon for $20 (linked down below). It's called a takoyaki pan, which is a pan that has individual sphere-shaped molds to make the takoyaki in the oven.
You will also need vegan fish sauce, which Ocean's Halo makes a great one!
Other than that, the rest of the dish is pretty simple, including flour, chopped mushrooms, plant-based milk, vegan mayo, cilantro, and scallions.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups plant-based milk
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped oyster mushrooms
1/4 cup vegan fish sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a takoyaki pan with oil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly pour in the plant-based milk while whisking to prevent lumps.
Add in the green onion, red pepper, mushrooms to the batter and mix until well combined.
Spoon the batter into the takoyaki pan, filling each hole about 3/4 full.
Bake the takoyaki for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Carefully flip over each takoyaki and bake an additional 5 minutes.
While the takoyaki is baking, mix together the vegan fish sauce and vegan mayonnaise in a small bowl.
Once the takoyaki is finished baking, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Top each takoyaki with the mayo mixture and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and scallions.
Notes:
Takoyaki pans can be found at most Japanese or Asian grocery stores, but you can also order them online.
If you can't find vegan fish sauce, you can substitute with soy sauce and a pinch of brown sugar.
Feel free to mix up the veggies and use whatever you have on hand - this recipe is very versatile!
This recipe makes about 20 takoyaki balls, which serves 2-3 people as a snack or appetizer.
