DIY Candy, Part 2 … Except it’s not candy!

There is a whole section at the store filled with DIY snack boxes. From gummi sushi to mini dougnuts. When I saw the Takoyaki package, I couldn’t resist.
Empty out the package and inspect all the pieces.

Upon opening the box and semi-deciphering the instructions, I discovered this particular snack requires cooking, cutting the tray into tiny bits, and making my own gummi octopus. So, I decided to watch my favourite candy expert before proceeding any further. Whereupon I discovered that my first mistake was thinking this was a box of candy. It isn’t.

How to make Popin Cookin Takoyaki:

  1. Watch Emmy Eats Japan.She will translate all the pesky Japanese for you.
  2. Be surprised that it turns out not to be candy, but a savory snack.
  3. Tackle your own box of takoyaki.
Cut the plastic tray into pieces.
Open the pink package. It makes the octopus bits. Nearly fall over from the smell. They probably didn’t have to make it smell quite so much like decaying fish. Mix the pink powder with one triangle of water. That is an official measurement, is it not?
Stir until a neon pink dough forms. Ummm … is that a normal colour for octopus?
Fill the octopus mold, take out the tentacles. Repeat until you run out of dough. It makes 8 pieces. Somehow, I managed to make 11.
Next, prepare the mayonnaise. Open the large blue packet, add one triangle of water. Mix. It smells like vinegar. You know, like mayonnaise. Be surprised yet again. This isn’t candy.
Fold the packet down along the dotted line. Set aside.
Prepare the batter. What can I say about preparing batter? It is easy – just pretend it is pancakes. It looks like pancake batter. FYI: It doesn’t taste like pancake batter.
Fill the eight tiny little cups in the takoyaki tray. Place an octopus tentacle in each cup (stop giggling. We’re mature and responsible adults here. Well, okay. We just play responsible adults at school).
Cook the takoyaki in the microwave. 30-40 seconds will suffice. They will look a little funny. They are not round takoyaki balls like I reported on in my earlier post. However, flip them over. Tada! Now they are round :)
Add one triangle of water to the brown packet (very cleverly named, “Takoyaki Sauce.”). Stir and pour over the freshly-made takoyaki balls.
Drizzle the mayonnaise over the top. Enjoy!

This is definitely not a snack one enjoys for its taste. It is a snack one makes for the fun of making it. I admit it was fun to make. On the other hand, it was a lot of work for something that does not taste very good. Ah well. It is for kids. I know from helping my niece make a snack similar to this that she had a lot of fun.