Takoyaki

Whisk together flour, eggs, and dashi stock in a large bowl until you achieve a smooth, thin batter with no lumps. The consistency should be much thinner than pancake batter, almost like crepe batter.

Heat the takoyaki pan over medium heat and brush each hemisphere mold generously with vegetable oil. Pour batter into each well until it slightly overflows the edges of the molds.

Drop a piece of octopus, a pinch of pickled ginger, tenkasu, and green onion into each batter-filled well. Let cook for two minutes until the bottom edges begin to set and turn golden.

Using takoyaki picks or chopsticks, carefully rotate each ball ninety degrees, tucking the overflow batter underneath to form a sphere. This takes practice to achieve perfect round shapes.

Continue rotating the balls every minute or so for about six to eight minutes total until they are uniformly golden brown on all sides and the center is molten and creamy.

Transfer the hot takoyaki to a serving plate and drizzle with takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Top with a generous shower of dancing bonito flakes and aonori powder.