Octodog Arabiki (タコさんウインナー)

Octodog Arabiki (タコさんウインナー)

Recipes with Arabiki Sausage

Every Japanese kindergartener knows this shape. Cut four slits into the bottom half of an arabiki sausage, drop it in a hot pan, and watch the legs curl outward into a tiny octopus. Two black sesame seeds pressed into the top become eyes. The whole thing takes five minutes and turns a packed bento into something a child will eat without protest.

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Servings

4

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 8 arabiki sausages
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • Black sesame seeds for eyes
  • Ketchup for serving
  • Optional: thin spaghetti strands for antennae

Steps

1

Stand each sausage upright. Cut a cross pattern into the bottom half, stopping at the midpoint. You should have four "legs" still connected at the top.

2

Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place the sausages cut-side down and cook for 2-3 minutes. The legs will curl outward as the heat contracts the casing.

3

Flip each octopus and cook the rounded top for another minute until the skin has some color.

4

Press two black sesame seeds into the top of each sausage for eyes. Serve with a small pool of ketchup.

Tips

Cut the slits deep enough so the legs separate during cooking, but not so deep that they break off. About two-thirds of the way through the sausage works best. If you want six or eight legs instead of four, make more cuts, but thinner legs tear more often. Press the sesame seeds in while the sausage is still hot so they stick.