balls of furiously delicious Japanese snack

Foodie Friday 016

Takoyaki

[ Japanese ]

Availability: nationwide & beyond ...

Well, that was an impromptu week hiatus, but I'm sure you're already used to it by now if you're a regular here. Getting back to it, I had this delicacy once in a while when I am craving something from across the sea, or more specifically from the Land of the Rising Sun, and since this is the closest one to me from home, it is a nice change of pace of my day-to-day consumption with a piece of Japanese exotic heritage. Shall we start?

In my past, I wasn't exposed to anything by being enclosed in this rural world I was living in in my youth, except for the rare reprieves into the city after visiting our relatives there with my mother. Going to the nearest shopping mall, Jaya Jusco in Taman Melati (Sogo was the alternative, just following in mother's shopping spree) if I'm not mistaken sometimes with my younger brother and sometimes just by myself, venturing through the place for hours as we were awed by what used to be a vast playground for me. We ended every trip with a visit to the food section and I always bought takoyaki and sushi! Since the latter is a much harder dish to get (not to mention the price ...), I am quite fond of the former now as it was always a delight of flavour and sense every time I ate it!

If you've seen its own special cooking pan with the semi-circle all over the rectangular pan, it is equally fun to see how it is made in the first place, as the ball of flavour is being cooked thoroughly and evenly with the cooker rolling it from one cooked side to another. Of course you need to puncture a hole and take a peek inside to see if it's cooked or not (it's going into your stomach anyway) and when it is done, it will be put in a container usually with another ball (or three actually) while being garnished with thin garlic (I believe it was ... maybe it was something else?) layers and of course mayonnaise and soy sauce (another aspect I'm not sure ...). Eating it is a bit tricky though since you need to use a wooden pick to puncture through it just enough that it will hold long enough until you can eat it and not having its shape being accidentally peeled off because of your poor attempt. That was trivial matter at best since the destination makes it worth it as the hot Japanese delicacy envelops your inner mouth and when you bit into it, the warmth of the inner fillings and the chewiness of the ingredients inside (I choose the traditional octopus more than most but there are other options to choose from) balanced well with the softness of the takoyaki ball. It has an inviting aroma and the following marriage of taste and senses lives up to the expectation and then some.

Under the circumstances, it might be a bit pricey as the food would be conventionally finished in just two whole mouthful but the experience itself was worth it for me. Don't be afraid to venture out and experience other people's culture or more specifically their food!

Do you have any Japanese food that you might want to recommend to me?

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a case for the wonderful family tradition:

+ Positives +

balls of deliciousness full of flavour.

? Main contention ?

needs to be eaten as soon as possible, would not be as tasty when it is stale.

- Negatives -

hm ... the price maybe a bit steeper comparatively to other snacks.

! Warning !

please watch the temperature of the dish before being consumed ... or tried to before you are forced to put them out when you are burning your mouth out.

j preferred way of eating f

eating them right away fresh off the pan.

* sense of touch & taste *

chewiness of the ingredients inside contrasts with the softness of the layers and the fillings, while the combination of the tart of the mayonnaise, the sweet soy sauce and the whole of the fillings resulted in a perfect marriage.

 <+> 

as usual, eat in moderation ...

RM

I believe it's close to RM 5, but it's worth it for four wonderful gulps in one serving.

? Value ?

+ rich taste + Japanese tradition - ten minute wait after ordering + filling ...? + personal favourite = 90% 

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