📖 Instructions

1. First, prepare the herring. Clean and fillet the herring, removing any bones. Chop the fillet into small, bite-sized pieces. Set aside. (Psst! Don't forget to wash your hands!).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the takoyaki flour, dashi, egg, and water until you have a smooth batter that's slightly thicker than pancake batter. If it's too thick, add a tad more water. If it seems too thin, add a spoonful of flour. Experiment, have fun!
3. Gently fold in the finely chopped herring, ginger, and green onions into the batter. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are totally fine. In fact, a little uneven texture is what adds character!
4. Lightly grease your takoyaki pan (or skillet). Heat it up over medium heat. This is important—if the pan's not hot enough, your takoyaki will stick!
5. Once the pan is hot, pour a small amount of batter into each takoyaki mold. Aim for about ¾ full. They'll puff up as they cook, so don't overfill them (or you'll end up with a herringy mess!)
6. Once the batter starts to set around the edges of the mold, about 2 minutes or so, you can gently use a skewer or toothpick to help shape them into balls. This helps the little beauties cook evenly.
7. Keep cooking them, carefully turning them every minute or two with a spatula, until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside. Be patient! It’s kind of like a mini cooking performance!
8. Once they're cooked, remove the herring takoyaki from the pan. Place them on a plate and serve immediately. Drizzle them with takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and sprinkle on some aonori (dried seaweed flakes) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). If you're fancy, add some extra green onions.
9. Enjoy! Seriously, these little herring balls are addictive!