a delicious fish shaped cake filled with red bean paste

Last week I made a dish my mom enjoys so this week I decided to make one that my dad especially loves! I present to you: taiyaki (鯛焼き)! It’s a fish-shaped cake that’s filled with red bean paste. But you can fill it with any filling you like such as nutella, custard, and even peanut butter! There’s different styles of taiyaki but I like my mine super crispy on the outside yet chewy on the inside. In Korean, we call these guys bungeoppang (붕어빵)!

You do need a taiyaki pan to make these. I got mine off of amazon and am really happy with the quality of it!

Taiyaki is traditionally made with a red bean paste filling. However it can be filled with anything you desire! Some delicious fillings are custard, nutella, peanut butter, cheese, or even ice cream! My dad loves red bean and he loves taiyaki when they’re packed with red bean paste so that’s how I make mine.

Ingredients
makes 4 taiyakis

Red Bean Paste
7 ounces azuki beans
Water
3/4 (150 grams) cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Taiyaki Batter
90 grams (3/4 cup) cake flour
30 grams (1/4 cup) mochiko (sweet rice flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
160 milliliters (2/3 cup) milk
Splash of vanilla extract

Directions

Red Bean Paste
-Wash your 7 ounces azuki beans and add them to a pot. Cover your beans with water by around 1-2 inches. Then heat your pot over high heat. Once your water is boiling let it cook for a couple minutes and then drain your beans into a colander. This is to get rid of the bitterness in the beans.
-Return your beans to the pot and cover again with water by around 1-2 inches. Heat your pot over high heat to bring your water to a boil. Once boiling, lower your heat to low and let your beans simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Keep an eye on your beans as the water level can suddenly reduce due to either evaporation or the beans absorbing the water. I top the pot off with hot water that I have heated in a kettle on the side.
-Once the beans are tender so that you can easily smash the beans between your fingers, remove the pot from heat and once again drain your beans. Return your beans to the pot, but this time without water.
-Cook your beans over medium heat for 3-5 minutes while stirring them with your spatula. I do this to create a smoother end result. Then add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the red beans. The sugar will pull moisture out of the beans. Continue cooking the beans until it is your desired consistency. I cook mine to the point where if I draw a line through the beans, they stay apart.
-Transfer your bean paste to a container and let it cool. Store in the refrigerator.
Taiyaki Batter
-Add 90 grams cake flour, 30 grams mochiko, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Whisk everything together. Then add 160 milliliters milk and a splash of vanilla extract to a different bowl.
-Sift your dry ingredients into your milk. Then whisk everything together until no lumps remain.
-Transfer your batter to the refrigerator to rest for 45 minutes.
Assembly
-Shape your red bean paste into four ovals. The size will depend on how much red bean paste you like in your taiyaki,
Cooking
-Heat your taiyaki pan over medium heat.
-Once hot, oil one side of your pan. Then add small dollops of your batter to the pan and spread the batter out so that it completely covers the mold and forms a thin layer.
-Flip the pan to the other side.Oil the rest of the pan and then generously dollop your batter into the pan and spread your batter out completely. Add your red bean paste onto the batter. Then cover the red bean paste with a bit of your batter.
-Gently close your pan and continue cooking over medium low heat. Make sure to rotate your pan throughout cooking. Open your pan and check for doneness by around the 6-7 minute mark. My taiyaki took around 8-10 minutes to make. I like to cook mine low and slow to ensure a crisp outside and chewy inside.
-Repeat with the rest of the batter for your second batch.
Enjoy!

Taiyaki

Anmitsu