Taiyaki are cute and delicious Japanese fish shaped waffles filled with sweet red bean paste. They're a popular and classic sweet street food in Japan.
Divide the An to 6 x 40g each and shape them into a 10cm long cylinder with cling wrap and set aside.
Sift the flour and baking powder in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
In another bowl, beat the egg lightly before adding milk and water. Mix everything thoroughly until smooth.
Pour it into the well of flour.
Combine them but try not to overmix.
Place some plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to rest the batter.
Heat the taiyaki pan over low-medium heat and pour about 2 tbs batter to the bottom side of the pan. Pour the batter from the top edge so that the batter will dribble down to the bottom of the pan.
Place a roll of sweet red bean paste in the centre and pour more batter (about 2 tbs) over the paste.
Press the pan and cook each side for 3-5 minutes over low heat.
When both sides have cooked, remove the Taiyaki carefully.
Repeat the above process for the remaining batter and Anko.
Notes
You can use ready-made tinned red bean paste if you prefer.Be careful when you remove the taiyaki because it is very hot. I used gloves called 'gunte'. They are a bit like gardener's gloves but made of thick cotton.