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We thought takoyaki pans were just for making fried octopus balls. Teach us your ways, recipe book!

Takoyaki, chunks of octopus covered in batter, are one of the many wonderful treats Japan has to offer. They’re sold in grocery stores and you can always count on stalls serving up fresh ones at Japanese festivals. Besides being filled with octopus, takoyaki are almost always cooked in a special griddle with half-spherical molds that evenly heat the dough. The home versions of these grills seemed to be destined to only make takoyaki, but it turns out the little octopus balls aren’t the only thing that can be cooked in them. There are plenty of other spherical foods that you can create with a takoyaki maker and a brilliant new recipe book is showing us dozens of new ways to utilize the uniquely shaped pan.

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Titled Takoyakiki Waiwai Recipe (“Takoyaki Pan Fun Recipes”), this unique cookbook features over 62 recipes that exclusively use a takoyaki pan. Just looking at the assortment of ideas on the front cover already has convinced us that we need to try all of them!

▼ Spanish-style al ajillo / “in garlic”

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▼ Adorable grilled rice balls

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The extensive cookbook features recipes including comfort food like yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls), okonomiyaki, mochi, and miniature versions of Western food like French toast, corn dogs, and omelets. You’ll find all your usual cravings inside, from salty to sweet to savory and everything in between.

▼ The takoyaki pan is the perfect size for different bento treats!

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The cookbook can be bought at any bookstore in Japan or you can find it online for 680 yen (US $5.50). With recipes like these at your disposal, you could be opening up your own “round-shaped food” restaurant sometime in the near future.

Source, images: @Press
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