Air Fryer Takoyaki (Step-by-Step DIY Recipe)

I saw these delectable looking takoyaki at TheHangryChub’s IG, and I felt these instant cravings!! The recipe seemed fairly simple, so I decided to try it out. What did I have to lose right? Well, my first attempt was a disaster for a variety of reasons which I won’t go into. Now normally, I would throw up my hands and move on to a different cooking experiment when this happens. This time though, I decided I wanted to CONQUER this takoyaki recipe and really really make it work. So here I am, one week after, having another go.

Thankfully, I learned from my mistakes so I’ll be sharing my revised recipe below. I like it. ‘Nuff said.

 

DELECTABLE FOOD FOR THE DAY: TAKOYAKI w/ CHEESY CRAB MEAT & CORN FILLING

DIFFICULTY: Easy, even an 8-year old can do it

SERVING SIZE: Good for 5 people, appetizer only. Recipe is good for 20 medium-sized takoyaki balls.

PREPARATION AND BAKING TIME: 1 hour (it’s the air frying time that takes awhile)

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium-sized potatoes (around 750g)
• 6 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 pcs of crabstick, shredded
• 1/3 bottle of Cream Style Corn
• 20g of mozzarella cheese (optional)

For the takoyaki sauce:

• 6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ketchup
• Japanese mayo

 

STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE

STEP 1: Make Mashed Potatoes

1. Wash then peel the potatoes, and slice them into smaller chunks. This is critical to allow for more even cooking of the potatoes when you boil them

2. Place the potato chunks into a pot then fill with water (at least one inch above the potatoes) and a pinch of salt. Cover the pot and place over medium high heat. The water should start boiling, and you should check in on it after ~10 minutes. You’ll know it’s time when you test the potato with a fork and the fork slides into the potato smoothly

3. Afterwards, drain the hot water. Shake the potato for ~1 minute to let all the steam escape.

4. Mash the potatoes. While still hot, add the 6 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tsp salt. This essentially creates the “starchy” texture that imitates the Takoyaki texture

 

STEP 2: Create the Takoyaki Filling and Stuff it in

1. For the filling: Shred the crabstick, then mix well with the cream style corn, and mozzarella cheese.

2. Grab the starchy mashed potato, then place the filling into it and roll the whole thing into a ball. Make sure there are no cracks in your takoyaki ball.

3. It can get a bit sticky. I suggest you have a bowl of water beside you, which you can use to clean your fingers every one in awhile, as well as make it easier for you to roll it into ball shapes

STEP 3: Cook the takoyaki

1. An air fryer is not normally used to cook Takoyaki, but I saw it in TheHangryChub’s IG and it looked beautiful. Plus, I had recently bought an air fryer so wanted to test it here. Anyway, long story short, I used an air fryer to cook the Takoyaki at 160 degree Celsius for 10 minutes. This is sufficient time for the crunchy golden brown outer layer to form.

**This was one of the reasons for my initial failure – because I didn’t know at what temperature and for how long I should cook it in the air fryer!

2. While the takoyaki is cooking, make the takoyaki sauce by mixing together 6 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea Perkins), 1 ½ tsp sugar, and 1 tsp ketchup.

3. Once the takoyaki is cooked, brush with the takoyaki sauce then drizzle Japanese mayonnaise on top