One of the best things about Washoku, and especially Japanese festival foods, is that it’s all often turned into a -pa!. Throughout my experience with Washoku, the -pa is definitely the most fun activity you can ever do!
Takopa is short for takoyaki party. Similarly, Gyozapa is a gyoza party. If you’re not excited by now, there’s something wrong with you. I was introduced to the Takopa a few years ago by some of my Japanese friends who were living in Sydney at the time.
The idea of the -pa is to gather a few friends at your house, get more ingredients than you’ll be able to eat, cook, have fun, play games, entertain… and eat. You’ll eat so much food you won’t know what to do. But the amazing thing is you’ll only eat one food. You’ll eat variations of flavours, but essentially if you go to a Takopa, you’re there to eat more takoyaki than humanly possible.
Photo: takoyaki from my first time hosting a Takopa, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie and spring onions.
They’re incredibly fun, and even more so if no one has ever cooked takoyaki before. All you need is a stove (a portable gas stove is ideal because you can move it around so everyone can reach the takoyaki), a takoyaki pan, some takoyaki batter, fillings, sauces and a special takoyaki skewer to turn them.
The pan can be bought online and the takoyaki skewers are available at Daiso. Daiso also sells a range of Japanese sauces for much cheaper than regular Japanese supermarkets. My recommendations are katsu sauce and okonomiyaki sauce. Japanese mayo is a must, and you can buy Kewpie from Woolworths! The most reliable place I have found to stock takoyaki batter is the IGA in Market City, Chinatown. They also stock bonito flakes to top your takoyaki with.
For fillings, you need to cook at least one batch of octopus. Buy some fresh from a seafood store and cut it into nice little chunks. Other fillings can be kimchi, bacon and cheese, really anything you want! This is where the fun starts – tell everyone to bring an ingredient each to put in the filling, you’ll get some crazy inventions.
Other than Takopa, Gyozapa are also popular. They’re a bit more difficult to make and take much longer to prepare, but if you’ve got a group of foodie friends or someone who knows how to fold dumplings, it’s a lot of fun.
Photo: Gyozapa in Kobe, Japan
I learned about Gyozapa while backpacking in Japan. A hostel in Kobe that I stayed at was holding one for staff and invited me to join. A Chinese guest showed everyone how to fold the gyoza and we made some ridiculous flavours. Pork and cabbage, cheese kimchi, and a strange mix of tinned mackerel and cheese. We made close to 200 gyoza for just a few people!
Last Summer I had a Takopa and had my friends stay at my house and the next morning we went on a beach road trip. It’s one of my favourite memories from the Summer, and the Gyozapa is one of my favourite memories from my trip to Japan. Get yourself a takoyaki pan and start planning your Spring/Summer weekends around it – you won’t regret it, and you definitely won’t forget it!
WashokuLovers
