Taiyaki

I remember fondly the first time we had this snack was in a cherry blossom festival at Japan town in San Francisco. The entire square was so alive with exciting colors, music, and traditional Japanese festivities. There were artwork and dance demonstration for audiences young and old.
Taiyaki is Japanese for baked sea bream, it is a fish-shaped pancake-like cake with a sweet filling, generally red bean paste. It is made with a special mold that opens on both sides and batter is pour on the bottom and  cooked on both sides until golden brown.
Ingredients: (make about 8-10)
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 small egg, beaten
200 ml. water
18 oz. red bean paste (rinse lightly to remove sugar and drain)
Method:
1) Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl. Pour in the egg, water and mix till batter is smooth. Leave to sit for about 5 minutes.
2) Season pan with some oil and remove any excess oil. Spoon some batter into the mold and fill with red bean paste, cover the top with another spoonful of batter. Bring the top lid to cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn pan over to cook on the other side until both sides are golden brown. Unmold and serve.

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