Kuromon Ichiba Market ★ 4.8
Osaka's kitchen since the Edo period: 580 metres of covered arcade with 180 stalls of live-tank seafood, graded wagyu, Kansai vegetables, standing sushi.
History
Osaka-style ikayaki was born around 1950 at the Momodani Yakiya Kaiyukan and became a city-wide phenomenon when Hanshin Department Store's Snack Park opened a counter in 1957. The high-pressure twin-iron-plate technique is the modern signature. Hanshin's daily queue still moves 5,000 ikayaki on busy days.
Common allergens: Gluten, Shellfish, Soy, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 200g cleaned squid (tube and tentacles), chopped 1cm
- 150g plain flour
- 2 tbsp katakuriko (potato starch)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp dashi powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 300ml cold water
- 2 eggs (1 in the batter, 1 to crack on top)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 4 tbsp okonomiyaki sauce (Otafuku or Bull-Dog)
- Japanese kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp benishoga (red pickled ginger), chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- Aonori (dried green seaweed), to finish
- Katsuobushi (bonito flakes), to finish
Method
- Whisk the flour, katakuriko, baking powder, dashi powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the cold water and 1 egg to a smooth batter the texture of pancake batter.
- Stir in the chopped squid; rest 15 minutes.
- Heat a heavy non-stick or cast-iron pan over high heat. Brush with oil.
- Pour 1/4 of the batter into the centre, spread to a 15cm round 5mm thick.
- Cook 60 seconds until the underside is golden. Crack a portion of egg (1/4 of the second egg, beaten) over the top and immediately fold the pancake in half.
- Press hard with a spatula and cook 30 seconds. Flip and cook another 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a board. Brush generously with okonomiyaki sauce and zigzag with kewpie mayo.
- Scatter with benishoga, spring onion, aonori and katsuobushi. The katsuobushi will wave from the steam.
- Repeat with the remaining batter. Eat immediately.
Tip from the editors. The pressed two-plate texture is hard at home without specialist gear; pressing with a heavy spatula in a pan is the closest. The 90-second cook is the secret.
Where to eat ikayaki
Ikayaki in Osaka
Dotonbori Takoyaki Juhachiban ★ 4.0
A popular Dotonbori takoyaki stall known for larger-than-average octopus portions and optional tenkasu (tempura flakes) mixed into the batter.
Try: Takoyaki
Aizuya Takoyaki Namba ★ 4.3
Eight takoyaki balls for around ¥500 at Aizuya, the Namba birthplace of takoyaki since 1935, made without mayonnaise in the purist Osaka tradition.
Tip: Order at the counter in Namba Nannan underground town; the plain version with no sauce is the original.
More cities are in research. Want ikayaki covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.