Make Your Own Octopus Balls!

Octopus is popular all over Japan, but in Osaka it is a local favourite.

I was watching TV the other day, there were a couple of guys in waterproof gear on a small boat in Osaka bay. They were wafting a net-in-a-hoop around in the water.

Suddenly, the thing gets heavy. They yank it aboard, to reveal a squelching bright red octopus.

They start talking about "That's a really nice one!", "look at the scar he's got across his face", "how old do you think he is?". So, naturally, I believed it to be a nature program. Soon, they've hauled out another one, and they're trying to hold it by it's head, in order to not get squirted with something.

Now, one of the guys just litterally puts one of the smaller octopus' legs in his mouth, and tries to tear it off. When this doesn't work, he pulls out a knife (Japanese knives are generally very sharp), hacks off a good-sized mouthful, and starts comping away. The chewing looks like hard work. "The sucker pads are sticking to my tongue, but it feels nice". Then, the other guy grabs octopus nr 2, swiftly moves to the back of the boat, where he finds an appropriately-sized pot of boiling water. In plops nr 2. After a brief boiling alive, the knife comes out again, and everyone on board is making happy faces expressing the tastiness and freshness of the creature's legs. By this time I was certain it wasn't a nature program.

But, anyway, say you've already tried the local Takoyaki (fried octopus balls), and you want something more fun. But you're not yet ready to charter your own boat with boiling pot of water.
Also, getting into a place like this during lunchtime is a half hour wait. 　




　 So, how about...

...making your own takoyaki !

Now, a place with a big "octopus" sign is a good place to start.

　 Inside is fairly compact.


　 But firstly, order yourself a "childs beer".　


Which is actually very tasty fizzy apple juice - like appletizer.


　 Next, check out the menu.



　 And have a look at the instructions.


　 Ready?

OK, here is the teppan (iron plate), with conveniently ball-shaped indentations. Gas fired from below.



　 Pour the pot of gooey liquid over the plate, and plop one piece of octopus into each well:


Next, put some cheese in, then the Negi (spring onion) goes on top:


This is where the men get seperated from the boys. Using nothing more than a sharpened metal stick, you must twist the gelling gooey stuff into a ball, and flip it over. All in one fluid movement.



　Put some sauce on top (sweet sauce, which, in all honesty, is not the obvious choice for cheese and octopus), and - what's this?

A dried seaweed dispenser! The stick sticking out of it is the stopper.　


There you go!


Now, once you're done eating octopus balls, you can get yourself an octopus ball key chain which tells you your fortune!

Shake, then a random stick will come out of a hole in Mr Takoyaki's head, telling you the answer to your question, in the form of Very Good, Good, OK, Bad, or Very Bad.　

Alternatively, you can get an octopus with a somewhat ironic chef's headband: