Scallopyaki (Variant of Takoyaki)

So for those who know me, I've recently got my hands on a brand new takoyaki grill imported from Japan. Any Vancouverite knows its hard to find the authentic grill and they usually settle for what is known as the aebleskiver pan. It does the trick but if die hard takoyaki lovers do a bit more of research, they can find that one place in the whole of Vancouver that does sell the grill. Let me introduce you to Konbiniya. It's a small Japanese convenience store downtown, about 3-5 blocks away from Burrard Station. They sell the 18-mold takoyaki electric grill for $40. I've checked online stores and they sell the same thing for $60. Although, I'd advice you to email the manager/owners first through their website and ask if they have the grills in stock. I was told that they only sell the grills on select seasons.

While you're there, you might wanna buy the ingredients for takoyaki as well. But first, what is takoyaki? Well, it's basically this round cooked batter ball with octopus meat (or scallop in this case) inside and seasoned with Japanese mayo, takoyaki sauce, bonito flakes and seaweed bits on top. A famous Japanese street food that is readily available during most festivals. More info here.

Konbiniya sells instant takoyaki batter mix; excellent for first time cookers who may not know what the consistency of the batter is supposed to be which is a bit watery

The first time I made takoyaki I used the instant mix and it tasted pretty good, although making it from scratch (which is what I did today for the first time ever) is not that hard. In fact, I liked the taste from the scratch version better. I used this recipe with slight changes. For example, we didn't have octopus meat in the freezer (not that we always do) so I used scallop instead. I skipped the benishoga, dried sakura ebi and aonori then used okonomi sauce instead of takoyaki sauce.

Other utensils you may need are round oil brush (to spread the oil evenly on the divots) and takoyaki pick (makes it easier to flip and roll em around). If you can't find those, just buy PAM and spray on a light layer of oil on the grill then use metal skewers as the pick. That's what I did and the takoyakis turned out fine.

Lastly, if you don't wanna make takoyaki but just wanna try it... you can find them in the Night Markets, Aberdeen food court, Crystal Mall food court and select Asian restaurants (thought I can't vouch for the taste for all of em).

Taho

Taho is probably one of the best and well-known street food of the Philippines. Other countries have similar dishes but serve it differently (e.g. cold tofu) and treat it more like dessert. Back home, however, I remember eating this right with my breakfast. Probably coz that's when the vendor arrives near our neighborhood.

It has 3 basic ingredients which are silky tofu, caramelized brown sugar and tapioca. These ingredients are common everyday grocery items for most, so it should be easy to make.

Ofcourse in comparison with balot, there's nothing too out-of-the-ordinary about taho.. so first time tasters have nothing to worry about. In fact, if you have a sweet-tooth like me, I'll guarantee you'll love taho.

The best part about it is the sweetness level is upto you. My mom made the syrup this time and she wasn't sure what the exact measurement was since she tends to just eyeball most recipes. But she said about a quarter of the 1 kg Rogers Brown Sugar bag and probably 1-2 cups of water.

So here's my portion for today. Lots of tapioca pearls right? Anyway, you can easily get creative with this dish as well. Add some coconut jelly. Or lessen the syrup and top everything on shaved iced. Taho is easily convertible as a hot snack for winter or cold snack for summer.

Click here for more info about Taho.

PS: Sorry if the 2nd pic is a bit blurry. You try pouring the syrup and taking a picture with a heavy camera at the same time.