Add octopus to a large pot of very salty boiling water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for an hour, checking back in halfway through to flip be sure all parts are submerged under water. You want to be sure the water is just barely simmering, not boiling, during this time.

To check for doneness, slide a cake tester or small sharp knife through a tenticle. It should meet VERY little resistance. If there’s resistance, keep simmering for another 20 minutes or so. Allow to cool (so it firms up) before cutting. If you’re in a hurry, just refrigerate for 30-45min.

Remove head. Remove beak by pressing a finger through the center of the body (where tenticles come together). The beak should pop out.

Remove tenticles from body then cut into about ½”/1.5cm size chunks.

Add ingredients to a high sided container and spin with an immersion blender until well combined and smooth.

Add everything except oil to a high sided container and spin with an immersion blender. Slowly (but not too slowly) drizzle in oil while spinning. When you get to the top of the container, stop drizzling to be sure the oil on top of the mixture is incorporated.

I’m using a takoyaki pan that I got on amazon. If you don’t have one, see below for the alternative method.

Pre heat takoyaki pan over medium. Spray with olive oil or pan spray.

Fill each hole of the pan almost full with the takoyaki batter. It should come up to just below the rim of each hole, making sure to save just a little batter.

Sprinkle toppings on top of each ball of batter - scallions (5-8+ pieces per ball), chopped pickled ginger (8-12+ bits per ball), a pinch of bonito flakes, 2 pieces of octopus and cook the balls for about a minute to fully set the bottom side.

To begin to form the balls, use a chopstick to rotate balls 90 degrees in a press and scoop motion.

Use the reserved batter to fill in the void in the mold. Cook for 30-45 seconds, then rotate balls again, tucking as you to form into a round shape.

Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes, then rotate again, tucking in any stray pieces of filling or batter. Cook and rotate until they’re evening browned.

Garnish and serve with a generous squeeze of kewpie, japanese bbq, additional scallions, bonito flake, and seaweed.

If you don’t have a takoyaki pan, use a nonstick pan to make large pancakes. Just layer on all ingredients and wait until the top begins to bubble before flipping. To flip, slide the pancake onto a plate, place the cooking pan on top, and flip over while holding the plate and pan firmly together so the raw side of the pancake is now cooking in the pan. Garnish as you would the balls.