Taiyaki

Taiyaki (Fish-Shaped Red Bean Cakes)

A nostalgic Japanese street-food classic: a crisp, waffle-like pancake shaped like a fish and filled with sweet azuki red bean paste. Traditional taiyaki is cooked in a cast-iron fish mould over a gas flame, but a non-stick waffle iron or aebleskiver pan works at home.

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Total

45 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (1¼ cups) plain flour, all-purpose
• •2 g (½ tsp) baking powder
• •1 g (¼ tsp) salt
• •1 large egg
• •120 ml (½ cup) whole milk
• •60 ml (¼ cup) water
• •30 g (2 Tbsp) caster sugar
• •1 tsp vanilla extract
• •15 g (1 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted, for greasing the mould
• •300 g (10½ oz) anko (sweet azuki red bean paste), tinned or homemade; smooth (koshian) is most traditional

Steps

1. 1 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar until pale, then beat in the milk, water and vanilla.
2. 2 Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until you have a smooth, lump-free batter with the consistency of single (light) cream. If too thick, add 1 tablespoon more milk; if too thin, 1 teaspoon more flour.
3. 3 Lightly grease the inside of your taiyaki mould (or non-stick waffle/aebleskiver iron) with melted butter and preheat it over medium-low heat until a drop of batter sizzles gently on contact — about 3–4 minutes.
4. 4 Spoon roughly 1 heaped tablespoon (about 25 g) of batter into the lower half of each fish cavity and spread it to the edges.
5. 5 Scoop about 2 tablespoons (40 g) of anko onto the centre of each mould, keeping it away from the very edges so the top layer seals cleanly.
6. 6 Top with another tablespoon of batter (about 20 g) and immediately close the mould. Press gently and cook for about 2 minutes, then flip the mould and cook a further 2 minutes on the other side.
7. 7 Open briefly to check: the taiyaki is done when the surface is a deep, even golden brown and pulls away from the mould cleanly. Total cooking time is usually 4–5 minutes per fish.
8. 8 Remove to a wire rack (not a plate, or the underside will go soggy) and repeat with the remaining batter and anko. Serve warm; taiyaki is best eaten within 20 minutes of cooking.