Taiyaki for BREAKFAST

"Whatcha doing Mr. Volcano?"

"I'm filling my taiyaki with sausagicity!"

(if that makes no sense click here...or for a sillier version try this one)

Hehe, one of treats I miss most from Japan is definitely taiyaki. Tai, also known as snapper, is a kind of fish and is considered good luck in Japan. Taiyaki though is not grilled fish but a yummy fish shaped waffle filled most often with sweetened red bean goodness. These delicious treats can be found at festivals or sometimes random little stalls around town. When I was living in Kakegawa I used to pass a super cute little Taiyaki stall every day while walking to work. It never failed to bring a little smile to face.

Unfortunately I have yet to find a place in LA to buy freshly made taiyaki (if you know of one, oshiete kudasai!). So I figured the best way to satisfy my craving would be to make them myself. Due to the wonders of the internet, I was able to find a simple taiyaki maker online. For some reason, it was from Korea (is taiyaki popular in Korea?) and all the instructions were in Korean. This wasn't much of a problem since the taiyaki maker was just a simple old school waffle iron with snapper-shaped molds. Just heat, fill, close and flip (repeat if desired).

For a good recipe and write up check out Anime Blog. I, however, am a little bit lazy (while I love to cook, I hate to clean) and after reading about Batter Blasters on a few blogs thought that might be the perfect easy solution for making quick and easy taiyaki. I was a little nervous at first but it turned out great. Since I love anko (sweetened red bean paste) my initial attempt was the traditional style with the sweetened bean paste filling. It took me a couple tries to get the temperature and the timing just right but soon I was turning out yummy taiyaki in no time.The morning after my super successful Taiyaki night, Dave had the idea to make a version of “pigs in blanket” or as I like to say “soy in a snapper.” Using the batter blasters and frozen vegan sausages these were simple to make and fun to eat. What a wonderful way to start off the day!!What would you want in your Taiyaki??