Winter is more or less here, now. The skies are gloomy and grey, and the chill cuts straight to your bones as soon as you walk outside your door. But I’ve always taken pleasure in the colder seasons. In my opinion, the warmth of California sunshine is only as good as what you feel when you’ve got fuzzy slippers on and are sitting next to a space heater, watching through the apartment window as leaves fall on the ground outside and the streets get pelted with frigid rain.
To me, it’s the best time of the year to bake loaves and crusty bread and theorycraft soups. My GF who is more partial to confections, boiled some adzuki beans and mashed them up to make Anko.
90% (exact percentage) of beans in the world are used for savory dishes, but because of their mellow and nutty flavor, adzuki beans are reserved in East Asian cuisines for treats and desserts, like Taiyaki, Jjinbang, or Hong Dou Tang.
While I was at the market, I saw a cast iron grill pan for making Takoyaki and thought it could be used to make Taiyaki in the shape of Takoyaki.
Both Taiyaki and Takoyaki are made by pouring batter into a heated mold and adding fillings, but while Takoyaki is a savory street snack in the shape of balls, Taiyaki is a waffle-type dessert that’s made in the shape of sea bream.
It took some adaptation to get used to flipping the balls while they were in the mold. You have to use two small prongs so as not to eviscerate the balls while turning them, and you have to wait just long enough (not too long, or they’ll burn) so that they’re solid enough to be rotated upside down.
The papery thin edges were crisp, the batter got a lightly toasted crust, and a taper of sweet steam rose from the ball when I split it open. In Japan Taiyaki are fish shaped because they’re supposed to confer good luck, but I make my own so it’s all good.
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