Taiyaki “たい焼き” literally “grilled sea bream”, is a Japanese fish-shaped pastry traditionally filled with red bean paste called anko. The taiyaki is baked in a special mold that makes it slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Not only are they delicious, but they are fun to make with friends or kids! Plus, you can fill them with all kinds of toppings, we’ll give you some ideas at the end of the recipe that we particularly like.
Utensils for the taiyaki recipe
You will need a special mold to make taiyaki.
It will allow you to make medium size taiyaki. It can be used as a waffle iron and can be easily turned over to cook on both sides.
You will also need a gas stove. It will allow you to put it in the middle of the table and cook them in front of your guests! You can use it for many other Japanese recipes such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakiniku…
Recipe for taiyaki, fish-shaped waffle
Equipment
- 1 taiyaki mold
- 1 gas stove
Ingredients
- 200 g anko
- 1 egg
- 50 g sugar
- 60 g liquid cream
- 90 g water
- 60 g milk
- 20 g liquid butter
- 1 pinch of baking powder
- 140 g wheat flour
Instructions
- In a bowl, quickly beat the egg, then add the sugar and whisk quickly. You will obtain a thick mousse.
- Then add the liquid cream, water, milk and butter that you have melted beforehand and mix well.
- Gently stir the baking powder into the wheat flour in a separate bowl. Once done, gently sift it into the previous mixture to obtain a fluid dough.
- Preheat your pan on the stove over low heat and oil it with a brush, avoiding any excess.
- Place the dough to fill three quarters of the mold and add 1 spoonful of filling (anko, nutella, chestnut cream, custard…) in the center before covering with dough.
- Close the pan and turn it over immediately. Let it cook for a few minutes on each side, monitoring the cooking from time to time. Enjoy the taiyaki when they are hot, but be careful because the inside is hot!
The taiyaki can be eaten hot, they can be kept in the refrigerator without any problem. However, I advise you to warm them up 5 minutes in the oven at 180° before eating them!
Topping ideas for taiyaki
Traditionally in Japan, they are filled with sweet red bean paste (anko) but you can also put :
- Spread
- Black sesame paste
- Frangipane (mix 70g of almond powder, 50g of fine sugar, 1 egg and 35g of soft butter)
- Chestnut cream
- Pastry cream
- Whipped cream
- With matcha…
You can also be tempted by salted versions… Don’t hesitate to give us your preferences and suggestions in comments!
You can also make taiyaki with homemade or ready-made puff pastry like in the picture below! The taiyaki will have a crunchier texture! In this case, you just have to put a square of puff pastry on the mold, add the filling, then close it with another square of puff pastry. It is delicious!
