This light and crispy tempura combines shrimp, onions, carrots and herbs and looks similar to a fritter.
Kakiage is an “all-in-one” tempura.
It consists of bits of vegetables or a combination of seafood and vegetables deep-fried into a fritter.
Photo: Rick Poon
you might taste the sweetness and umami that a boiled vegetable just can’t deliver.
I learned early on in my life that onions turned magically sweet when deep-fried.
It became one of my favorite kakiage ingredients.
Kakiage was a staple on the lunch menu at my school in Japan.
The batter was thick and heavyin fact, it was mostly batter and onions.
Kakiage was my mother’s strategy to get her five children to eat more vegetables.
It was also a clever way to get rid of kitchen scraps in the fridge.
Sometimes, we got lucky and had pieces of cut-up shrimp in the kakiage mix.
My mother decided she would make tempura.
I remember how austere the priest looked with his shiny shaved head and black robe.
He praised my mother’s vegetable kakiage.
About 10 years ago, I apprenticed with Takashi Hosokawa, a soba master in Tokyo.
He is famous for his handmade soba noodles but also for his tempura.
People line up to come eat at his small soba shop.
I went in every day, primarily as a dishwasher for a few weeks.
He made tempura look so easy.
He would say “Saku Saku” when he approved the quality of the tempura.
Saku sakuis the sound and texture you experience when you take the first bite.
Saku saku described everything that mattered: freshness, lightness and airiness.
I am still on my pursuit to make that perfect tempura.
Blot with paper towels to dry.
Julienne carrots into thin matchsticks about 2 12 inches long.
Slice onion into similar-size matchsticks.
To prepare tempura batter:Whisk egg and ice-cold water in a medium bowl.
Set aside 2 tablespoons cake flour in a small bowl.
Sift the remaining 1 cup cake flour and potato starch (or cornstarch) into another bowl.
Add the sifted flour mixture to the egg mixture.
Using a whisk, draw the number 8 in the batter to lightly combine the egg and flour mixtures.
It is OK to leave a few small lumps of flour in the liquid.
Keep the batter away from the heat.
Combine the sliced shrimp, vegetables and herbs in a medium bowl.
Add the reserved 2 tablespoons flour; toss to coat the shrimp and vegetable pieces evenly.
To fry tempura:Line a sheet pan or large plate with paper towels.
You should have enough oil in the pan to reach about 114 inches in depth.
Clip a deep-fry or candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Heat the oil to 335F.
It’s crucial to keep the temperature of the oil stable and hot.
To find the right temperature, drop a pinch of batter into the hot oil.
Test again, until the optimum temperature is reached.
Place about 1/4 cup of the flour-coated shrimp and vegetable mixture in a small (teacup-size) bowl.
Add about 2 tablespoons of the chilled tempura batter tolightlycoat the vegetable mixture.
Slide (do not drop!)
the mixture into the hot oil from the side of the pan.
Quickly spread the mixture with a pair of chopsticks to make an oblong or round fritter.
When the fritters turn slightly crisp and the bubbles nearly subside, flip them over.
Fry until lightly golden on both sides.
The kakiage will continue to cook a little while resting, so be careful not to overcook it.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining shrimp, vegetables and batter.
Serve the tempura immediately with sea salt, lemon wedges and/or soy sauce, if desired.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
