Ok this is a wierd one, and its different enough that I think its worth a separate entry. Basically Mrs Sambar wanted me to try the popovers but in a takoyaki pan. Yes, we have wierd ideas, and they sometimes work out.
Spoiler alert : it worked out!
As for technique, I heated the pan and oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat, and then poured in the batter. Once the batter set on the bottom, I used two toothpicks to basically roll the half moon shape, this allowed the rest of the batter to expand and become a round shape. You can see the technique on most takoyaki videos (linking one below).
I added a bit of sweetness versus our traditional popover recipe. We also added a bit of baking powder to get a bit of lift as the batter wont be spending much time in the oven.
Recipe
70g Sourdough (Fed, so room temperature).
70g AP Flour
2 Eggs (room temperature)
120g Whole Milk (room temperature)
Pinch of Salt
1.5 Tbsp Raw Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
Method
Mix the liquid ingredients (eggs, milk and sourdough), making sure to beat the eggs into a consistent texture first. Add in the sugar, and salt. Sift the flour through a sieve to ensure no clumps, then sift in the baking powder and incorporate into a loose runny mix. Pour it into a jug that has a pour spout for easy pouring.
Set your takoyaki pan on the stove on medium heat, and pour in about a teaspoon of oil into each round. Let it heat up for 5 minutes (especially since our takoyaki pan is cast iron).
Now follow the takoyaki technique. Pour in about the batter into each round, and it should start sizzling as soon as your pour it in. Put in about half a rounds worth, move on to the next round. Once you finish pouring all the rounds, optionally add in some fruit to each round, and the first round should be ready to roll. Roll it using two toothpicks (dont stress if it is not perfect). Then monitor and keep turning to ensure that all the balls are evenly brown.
Once done, use toothpicks to pick up each ball and transfer to a serving plate. Make sure to refill the oil to the same level as at first, before adding more batter.
Thats it! Enjoy!