Takoyaki

Takoyaki (たこ焼き) is a kind of Japanese street food, originally from Osaka. Tako means octopus and yaki means grill or fry. They are hugely popular in Japan, especially at festivals. I simply adore the fresh-off-the-grill ones, and the tongue burning centre together with the mayo and bonito toppings make Takoyaki the most delicious ball-shaped food known to mankind.

These super-cute octopus balls have recently landed in London, I have recently had them at The Long Table and from Pom Pom Takoyaki. They are actually very easy to make, provided that you have the right pan. I bought one for my husband a few years ago as a Christmas present, although I am the one who uses it the most ;)

Besides octopus, traditionally pickled ginger, shredded seaweed and tenkasu (deep fried flour batter) are also used as the fillings of Takoyaki. The recipe below is adapted from a Japanese website. I used kimchi in half of the batch to vary the flavours, they were pretty amazing!

To make Takoyaki, first you need to pay a visit to a Asian supermarket for some essential ingredients. Mostly importantly, a Takoyaki pan:

You will also need Okonomi sauce. I called it Japanese brown sauce, which can also be used for Okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake). Mine looks like this:

Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) is the onion skin look-alike stuff that ‘dances’ on top the of the mayonnaise:

I am using frozen small octopus that I bought from a Korean supermarket:

Takoyaki

Makes around 20

10 Tentacles from small octopus (the ‘fat’ end only)
5 stalks of Chives, chopped
1 tbsp Kimchi, chopped
3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Batter:
140g Plain flour
2 medium Eggs
500ml Fish stock

Other:
Katsuobushi, around 10g
Mayonnaise, as much as you like
Okonomi sauce, as much as you like

Fill a small saucepan with water then bring to boil. Simmer the tentacles for 2 to 3 minutes, and then put them in iced water to stop the cooking. After they have cooled down, pat dry with kitchen towel then cut in chunks, around 8mm each.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the fish stock and mix well. Add the flour to the mixture in batches, mix until fully incorporated.  The resulting batter should be thin.

Coat the Takoyaki pan with oil, and then heat it over a high heat. Pour the batter into the pan, followed by the octopus, chives and kimchi.

Turn the heat down to medium. When the batter begins to solidify, use a bamboo/metal stick to divide the batter into individual square portions. Tuck the corners into the middle of the octopus balls, there should be no batter left on the side when done.

Use the same stick to turn the ball upside down (or at least 90 degrees). You have to be patient to wait for the ‘moment’ where the ball become turnable, if you turn the ball too early, the outer crust will not form properly. It normally takes a good 3 minutes on my gas hob for the first turn. Run a stick along the edge of the ball, it should easily become unstuck when ready.

Repeat the turning process until a beautiful golden crust is formed on each octopus ball. The centre of the ball should be a little runny. Due to the circular ring on a domestic hob, the heat distribution is not even, so you may have to move the pan around to cover all of the balls.

To serve, place eight octopus calls on a plate, then add Okonomi sauce and mayonnaise on top. Sprinkle the chives and katsuobushi on top. Eat immediately!

おいしいたこ焼きを作りましょう!

Tonkotsu Ramen PopUp By Tsuru

Tsuru Sushi, Bishopsgate

I am a huge fan of ramen, especially Tonkotsu. The cloudy white broth of Tonkotsu is achieved by simmering pork bones and vegetables for many hours. Traditionally a soy sauce based sauce and some chicken stock are added to the serving bowl, together with the pork bone broth. The ratio of those ingredients are the best kept secrets of some of the best-selling ramen shops in Japan.

London has never had a proper ramen restaurant before, let alone one serving Tonkotsu. Most of the Japanese restaurants here serve ramen on the side, unfortunately none of them have even been close to what I’ve eaten in Japan. It was a pleasant surprise when I found out Tusru was planning to open a ramen restaurant in London this year, but deep inside I still had doubts as to whether they could meet the challenge to deliver the standard we are all longing for.

Luckily Tsuru have reassured us, the ramen lovers, with a series of ramen events. All four ramen pop-ups - Tokyo Shoyu, Tokyo Spicy, Hokkaido and Tonkotsu, were held successfully at their sushi restaurant on Bishopsgate in the last few months.

I attended the “Tonkotsu 2” pop-up. It was also the first ramen event after the Tsuru team came back from a research trip to Japan. I love the fact that we were given a printed menu with the background of their ramen adventure so far. We ordered a portion of pork gyoza and kara-age (deep fried chicken) each while we were waiting for the ramen.

So here it came. The collagen rich broth and half of a perfectly cooked nitamgo (marinated soft boiled egg) put a smile on my face. Tsuru had nailed the noodles. They were fresh and bouncy, totally different from the brittle ones in Wagamama (sorry I have to mention Wagamama because some people really think their noodles are okay!). The broth however was somewhat different from what I had in Japan before, which was a little darker in colour. Later I found out they used a salt based sauce instead of soy based, explaining the difference in colour. Tsuru is also working on more varieties of ramen toppings. I would love to see some menma (bamboo shoot), black sesame oil and seaweed. Slurp!

I really cannot wait for Tsuru ramen to open. The pop-up event tickets are on sale here. For £10 you get a bowl of ramen and an alcoholic drink. What are you waiting for?

Tsuru

The Young Turks At The Ten Bells

The Young Turks, Spitalfields

The Young Turks at Ten Bells is definitely one of the most exciting pop up restaurants in town. Two talented chefs, Isaac McHale and James Lowe, have taken over the first and second floors of the Ten Bells pub (yup the Jack The Ripper one) since November 2011. The weekly changing modern British menu has won them many happy customers since their opening. It is so popular that they now have extended the pop up till the end of April.

It was a bit of a challenge to find our way to the first floor dining room on a Friday night. You might have thought that people tend to stay at home during the Christmas aftermath, but no, the bar was jam-packed. After fighting our way through the bar and climbing up a narrow staircase, we saw this:

Loved it.

Our meal started with a canape of goose and oat cracker. It was a thin oat crisp, topped with a silky smooth goose mousse and chutney. We then had two small plates - devilled crab and cauliflower cheese. Underneath the grill-finished crumbly layer I found fresh crab meat in a creamy spicy sauce. It had a kick but not too strong, I could not stop myself from wiping the plate clean with their homemade crusty bread. Having seen and eaten so many variations of cauliflower and cheese, I think I have found ‘the one’. Each individual floret was covered in cheese, breadcrumbed and then deep fried. Excellent texture.

The highlight of the three mains was the pig's head. It came with strips of salted turnip and a thin apple slice. I love a bit of fat on my meat. The richness from the charred pork fat together with the slightly pickled vegetables had taken this simple dish to a whole new level.

Next up was chunks of beautifully smoked haddock with kale and herring roe. I feel bad for saying this but I really think that this dish, particularly the saltiness from the roe, would be ideal with a bowl of steamed rice. We were then served a charming plate of pan fried pheasant, parsley root, onion and chestnuts before dessert. I am a big fan of chestnuts, they were toasted and sliced to accompany the tender breast of pheasant. A true winter treasure.

We ended the meal with a heart-warming plate of baked brioche, custard, marmalade and segments of fresh clementine.

We were well fed by this fixed price £39 menu, and it was great to dine in the buzzing, neon light filled dining room. Unfortunately the dining room was quite dark so the food shots were not great from my humble camera. You will just have to go and try it for yourself!

The Young Turks