Taiyaki is one of the foods most associated with Japanese street food. It's an extremely popular and classic dish. It can only be described as a fish-shaped sweet pancake, which is stuffed with either red bean paste, or nutella. Children love them, but adults really love them too!
Taiyaki is made with a traditional press-mould which turns the pancake batter into a fish shape, but it's difficult to obtain these traditional implements in the UK. An alternative is a waffle iron, or you can even fry the batter like a pancake and cut it into a fish shape when cooked.
Apparently Taiyaki used to be cooked in a regular circle shape and served at festivals, but a trend eventually started to cook Taiyaki in the shape of a sea bream; an expensive fish only eaten by the wealthy or on special occasions. Hence the sea bream pancakes look a little more expensive and special for festivals!
It's really very simple, so let's try it out!
You will Need:
- 150g Self Raising Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Medium Beaten Egg
- 200ml Whole Milk
- 3 Tbsp Granulated White Sugar
- 100g of Red Bean Paste or Nutella
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Method
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda together into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar to keep the mixture light and airy.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg until it has a smooth consistency, then whisk in the milk.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and whisk well until there are no lumps. Place the mixture in the fridge for around an hour.
- Prepare your Taiyaki mould or pan by basting it with the vegetable oil. This will stop the mixture sticking, but just add a very thin layer with a brush.
- Pour a portion of the mixture into our mould or pan, when bubbles start to appear in the mixture, quickly add a line of your red bean paste or nutella from top to bottom, then top with extra batter. Flip immediately
- Cook each side for two minutes. Serve hot for a gooey filling!