New Sensational Starters- Takoyaki & Wasabi Prawns

Here at Yuhoki, we are always busy in the kitchen developing our menu and adding fantastic new dishes for our customers to enjoy. In this blog, we will be introducing you to our two new favourite starters, Takoyaki and Wasabi Prawns. Delicious hot Japanese dishes bursting with classic savoury and spicy flavours, these are just the perfect starters. The perfect Japanese starters, we find, are light tasty bites that are great to share with friends, before or even during your main meal.

Takoyaki (たこ焼き)

A firm favourite at Yuhoki, Takoyaki was made popular in Osaka in the 1900s, after a street vendor named Endo Tomekichi began to experiment with different ingredient whilst making choboyaki. Literally translating as octopus-grilled/fried, Takoyaki are little balls of deep fried, egg-rich batter filled with diced octopus, so delicious they have become an icon of Osaka. As a popular Japanese street food, they often served at festivals as they are a light but flavoursome treat. The light batter and diced octopus are also mixed with tempura scraps, pickled ginger and green onions, giving the Takoyaki a light but complex flavour. Crisp and crunchy on the outside they are drizzled in a savoury Takoyaki sauce and rich mayonnaise. When you take a bite the light, but crunchy batter gives way to a soft, creamy middle that’s just bursting with flavour. These are a great start to any meal or even as just a light bite at lunchtime.

Wasabi Prawns

Fancy something with a little kick? Then our Wasabi Prawns are not to be missed. Succulent butterflied prawns, deep fried in a light crispy batter then drizzled with wasabi mayo and topped with masago, these are a super light and super tasty way to start your meal. The prawns are butterflied to create a generous surface area for the unctuous wasabi mayo that marries perfectly with the savoury bursts of flavour given by the masago. Masago is fish roe, traditionally used in sushi and other Japanese dishes to add flavour and texture, it has a striking orange colour but a subtle flavour. Good news it’s also super low calorie and rich in omega 3, so it nearly balances out the decadence of the prawns! Light and moreish this is a starter you’ll want again and again. 

Two delicious dishes, these starters are sure to make an impression whether it’s for a special occasion or just an evening with friends. Yuhoki’s generous portion sizes make these perfect to share, we recommend you choose a few and get stuck in!