Taiyaki
Photo: Toto-tarou · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

Taiyaki was invented in 1909 by Seijiro Kanbe, founder of Naniwaya Sohonten in Azabu, who reshaped the older imagawayaki round pancake into the auspicious sea-bream (tai) form. Taiyaki spread through Tokyo's festival stalls and shopping streets, becoming a fixture of Asakusa's Nakamise-dori and Ueno's Ameya-Yokocho. The original Naniwaya Sohonten still trades from the same location; its cast-iron mould technique (one fish at a time, ippon-yaki) is now the gold standard against which factory-mould chains are measured.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Soy

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 200g plain flour
  • 5g baking powder
  • 30g caster sugar
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 250ml whole milk
  • 20g unsalted butter, melted
  • 300g sweetened azuki bean paste (anko), tinned or homemade
  • Neutral oil for greasing the mould

Method

  1. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
  2. In a second bowl, beat the egg with the milk and melted butter.
  3. Pour the wet into the dry; whisk just until smooth (do not overmix). Rest the batter 10 minutes.
  4. Heat a taiyaki mould or a stovetop fish-shaped pan over medium heat. Brush both halves with oil.
  5. Pour batter to half-fill one side. Spoon 50g anko along the spine of the fish. Top with more batter to cover the anko.
  6. Close the mould and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, flipping once, until both sides are deep golden and the seams crisp.
  7. Lift out, trim the excess from the seams with kitchen scissors, and eat hot.

Tip from the editors. No taiyaki mould? Use a stovetop egg-bite or small waffle mould; texture is right even if shape is not. Cook the batter fresh; it loses lift if it sits.

Where to eat taiyaki

Taiyaki in Tokyo

Nakamise-dori snack street ★ 4.1

¥ Street foodCash only

Nakamise-dori in Tokyo's Asakusa is the 250-metre snack street between Kaminarimon gate and Senso-ji temple. Ningyo-yaki, agemanju, senbei since 1685.

TryNingyo-yaki, agemanju, senbei rice crackers

TipThe ningyo-yaki at Kimura-ya Honten and senbei at Tokiwa-do are the historic picks. Eat on the spot, do not walk-and-eat.

Directions

Ameya-Yokocho street stalls ★ 4.2

¥ Street food

Ameya-Yokocho in Tokyo's Ueno is the 500-metre street under the JR tracks, 400 vendors of takoyaki, kebabs, dried seafood, post-war black-market origin.

TryTakoyaki, okonomiyaki, kebab, dried fish

TipSaturday afternoons are jammed; weekday mornings stay calm. The takoyaki stalls and Turkish kebab counters are the lunch picks.

Directions

Tsukiji Outer Market standing counters ★ 4.5

¥ Street food

Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo's Chuo ward keeps 400 standing-counter food stalls running each morning. Tamagoyaki sticks, uni-don, scallop skewers.

TryTamagoyaki sticks, uni-don, grilled scallops

TipYamacho's tamagoyaki sticks and the standing-sushi counters at Sushizanmai are the canonical sequence; arrive before 09:00.

Directions

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