flipTaiyaki, the fish of the street
Taiyaki, the fish of the street
Why this dish? Taiyaki — a fish-shaped waffle filled with sweet red bean paste — is the street treat of Miyazaki's childhood Japan (born 1941). He who populates his films with festivals, stalls and warm hand-held treats knows this simple pleasure well: a burning fish you blow on before biting into, while walking.
A waffle molded in the shape of a sea bream, crispy outside, filled with anko (sweet azuki red bean paste). Eaten piping hot, right out of the stall, on the way home. The quintessential street indulgence.
As a child, after school, the smell of batter cooking pulled you by the nose to the stall. The vendor poured batter into the fish-shaped molds, slipped in a spoonful of red bean paste, closed the iron over the fire — and you had to wait, that was the hardest part. He handed it to you burning; you blew on it, you still burned yourself, and it was good precisely because it burned a little. Eat it right away, never cold. Some joys can't wait.
- •Wheat flour — for the batter (waffle)
- •Azuki red beans — cooked into paste (anko) (sweet filling)
- •Sugar — for anko and batter (sweetness)
- •Egg — one (binder)
Taiyaki, the fish of the street
A waffle molded in the shape of a sea bream, crispy outside, filled with anko (sweet azuki red bean paste). Eaten piping hot, right out of the stall, on the way home. The quintessential street indulgence.
Why this dish? Taiyaki — a fish-shaped waffle filled with sweet red bean paste — is the street treat of Miyazaki's childhood Japan (born 1941). He who populates his films with festivals, stalls and warm hand-held treats knows this simple pleasure well: a burning fish you blow on before biting into, while walking.
As a child, after school, the smell of batter cooking pulled you by the nose to the stall. The vendor poured batter into the fish-shaped molds, slipped in a spoonful of red bean paste, closed the iron over the fire — and you had to wait, that was the hardest part. He handed it to you burning; you blew on it, you still burned yourself, and it was good precisely because it burned a little. Eat it right away, never cold. Some joys can't wait.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — for the batter (waffle)
- Azuki red beans — cooked into paste (anko) (sweet filling)
- Sugar — for anko and batter (sweetness)
- Egg — one (binder)
Ingredients
- Flour — 200 g (batter)
- Baking powder — 1 tsp (lightness)
- Sugar — 60 g (batter sweetness)
- Egg — 1 (binder)
- Milk — 250 ml (fluid batter)
- Red bean paste (anko, store-bought or homemade) — 200 g (filling)
Method
- Mix flour, baking powder and sugar, add egg and milk until a smooth, fluid batter forms.
- Heat and lightly oil a taiyaki mold (or a waffle mold / frying pan as substitute).
- Pour a layer of batter, place a spoonful of anko in the center, cover with a little batter.
- Close and cook both sides until golden and crispy.
- Unmold and serve piping hot, by hand.
How it was made : Taiyaki was born in Tokyo at the turn of the 20th century, derived from round *imagawayaki*, molded as a sea bream (*tai*) — a lucky fish. An inexpensive stall treat, it has accompanied festivals and after-school evenings for generations. The sweet azuki paste, *anko*, is the sweet heart of all Japanese pastry.
The contemporary twist : Serve it "head first" in a paper cone like at the stall, and dip the tail in a little melting green tea ice cream — hot and cold at once.
Hayao Miyazaki · Charactorium
