Friday, January 29, 2016

Tako (Octopus) - Takoyaki / Tako Sashimi / Tako Okonomiyaki


Song:  Seabreeze (Puamana)

Artists:  Keola and Kapono Beamer

(From one of my favorite albums when I lived in Hawaii)



As my last article consisted of Tako in a marinade...
this article will cover three other uses.

First...
I had taken my mother out to breakfast at a great little neighborhood breakfast place...
Peg's Glorified Ham n Eggs.



They have many styles of breakfast.

One of my favorites is the Spam and Eggs breakfast (Hawaiian style).

It comes with rice, macaroni salad, and grilled onions, bell peppers and tomatoes.


My mother still has a large appetite.

We had the same meal...
and she almost finished everything on her plate.


Afterwards...
we inspected her two new properties.


They are almost ready to rent out.


We then left them to turn in some paperwork at the clubhouse.



My mother just relaxed as I turned in some plans for approval.


Later that night...
we made some Takoyaki.

I had gotten this recipe from the Internet...
and I modified it some...
as my mother had no corn starch
(you may substitute with regular flour at a 3:1 ratio)...
and I had made it with octopus...and without ginger.

I won't go into the recipe as I had included a link to the original recipe.
The person who made the recipe deserves all the credit.

Perfect Takoyaki - From Plain Flour



My mother sliced up the green onions as I prepared the mixture.


For Takoyaki...
you will need a purpose built Takoyaki grilling pan.

It is fit with many hemispheres.


You must then thoroughly oil the pan inside each hemisphere...
and on top of the flat surface.

Simply fill the hemispheres about half way with the batter...
let it cook at a medium high heat for a few minutes...
then place in the pieces of octopus
 (sliced or diced to the desired thickness...remember, these are already cooked)...
and onions.









You then fill the hemispheres with more batter.


After another few minutes...
you will see a thick ring of cooked batter on the outer edges of the hemisphere.

This is your cue to rotate them upside down.


They sell a needle like implement to effect this...
however, as we did not have one...
we used Hashi (chopsticks).

By simply poking down on the hardened outer edge...
or by sticking into it and pulling...
a half rotation may be effected.




This is the result.

The exposed cooked hemisphere is now exposed.

It should be a light brown in color.

Be sure to ensure all the exposed edges are folded down to create a sphere.

They usually naturally fall into place.


The ingredients of the covering sauce:

Dried bonito shavings

Bull Dog Vegetable and Fruit sauce (Tonkatsu Sauce)

Japanese mayonnaise (other types will fit the bill)


Simply drizzle on the Bull Dog sauce...


and do the same with the mayo.


Cover the top with the bonito shavings...


and you are ready to eat.




We went on to make a second batch...


and we finished our meal
(it was a light meal).


On a previous day...
my mother and I had Tako Sashimi.

You merely slice the octopus as we had for the Tako Marinade...
and simply dip the slices into soy sauce with wasabi...
and eat it with rice...
just as one does with raw tuna sashimi
(again...remembering to get the octopus which is pre-boiled when you buy it).

For Tako Okonomiyaki...
everything is exactly the same...
with the exception of the hemispherical pan...
and you may also make the modification of adding all of the ingredients
into the batter beforehand.

Okonomiyaki batter is poured as one would to make pancakes.

We simply used the left over batter from the previous nights Takoyaki batter
and other ingredients...
and made Tako Okonomiyaki with them.








 You may elect to turn over the whole pancake...
but I simply folded over the bottom cooked batter as one would to make an omelet.


The same ingredients are used for the covering sauce
as that which was used for the Takoyaki.



I went a little overboard with the sauce, and especially with...
the mayo  :)


With one purchase of eight legs of octopus...
you may have four separate meals:

Tako Marinade

Tako Sashimi

Takoyaki

Tako Okonomiyaki

It is best to just defrost the appropriate amount for each
(One leg is just right for one meal per person).


Although the eight leg package of pre-boiled and frozen octopus seems expensive
($38.00)...
it had made four separate meals for two...
and, the meals were very quick and easy to make...
as well as being very filling and nutritious.











Saturday, January 23, 2016

A Quick And Fun Meal To Eat: Marinated Octopus


Song:  Happy

Artist:  Pharrell Williams





(Eight large octopus arms go for about $38.00...
however, one arm will feed two people).

I just got back from Japan a few days ago.
My wife's mother had made some marinated octopus 
for us to eat while my family and I were there.

Although I had eaten it before...
I had forgotten, not only how truly delicious it is...
but how it is so satisfying in texture.

It is very chewy...
and as a result, it is highly satisfying to the mouth.

It has a chewiness that is like no other meat common to America.

It is a very fun food to eat.

It is a true carnivore's meal.

You can just imagine you are a lion on the Serengeti 
which is happily chewing on a highly muscled thigh of an impala.

Now mind you...
it is not tough or stringy...
just highly chewy.

When I eat this meal...
I probably look like a dog with his eyes rolled back in a dreamy state
as he is chewing on a rubber bone.

This chewiness is what makes this high protein meal so much fun to eat.


They usually come precooked and frozen.
Just defrost for 20 minutes in warm water.


While we were waiting for the octopus to defrost...
we ate some Bim Bap (Korean style roll similar to Japanese Futomaki)
and an Asian Pear.



I made a quick stop at a nearby Asian market and picked all of these items up
for a quick lunch with my mother.


I only had to slice one arm for our lunch.


You must slice the pieces rather thinly (1/4 inch or so).

If you slice it too much thicker...
not only will it be very chewy...
the octopus will be out of proportion to the marinade.


Just some rice vinegar or sushi seasoning, and Ponzu or soy sauce to taste...
is all you need.


Simply put in the sliced octopus and let them set for 10 - 15 minutes.
They will then be ready to eat.


Put the remainder of the octopus into a container and refrigerate.
They will easily last a few days.

(I had taken some of the legs home).



The original... 'Happy Meal'  :)




There are many places where you may buy octopus one arm at a time.

If not...
just take out and defrost only that which you can use...
and keep the rest frozen.

My mother and I are going to enjoy the rest of the octopus over the next several meals.

We will also be making Tako Yaki with this.
(I will explain more in another article).

Any true carnivore who has not tried octopus...
have him try this. 

He will have never had a meal such as this.

He will have a big smile on his face as he eats this.

He won't be able to help it...
it is that fun and satisfying.