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Kakiage Recipe: How to Make Japanese Tempura Fritters

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Aug 6, 2022 • 3 min read

Kakiage is a kind of Japanese tempura that’s easy to make at home.

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What Is Kakiage?

Kakiage tempura, also called mixed tempura or tempura fritters, is a style of tempura that involves mixing multiple chopped-up ingredients with batter and deep-frying until golden brown and crispy. Unlike traditional tempura, which is made by dipping sliced ingredients in the batter and then frying them one by one, kakiage is a mix of vegetables fried in a fritter.

What Is Tempura?

Tempura is a Japanese dish consisting of vegetables or seafood lightly battered and deep-fried until crispy. The technique was likely brought to Japan in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese and has since become a staple of Japanese cuisine. Tempura is typically served with tentsuyu, a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, mirin (cooking wine), and dashi (fish broth), plus shredded daikon radish and ginger for stirring into the sauce.

3 Common Kakiage Ingredients

Kakiage often features a mix of seasonal herbs, vegetables, and seafood. Some common ingredients include:

  1. 1. Herbs: Such as mitsuba (Japanese parsley) or slivers of shiso leaf.
  2. 2. Veggies: Sweet corn, carrots, Japanese sweet potatoes, gobo (burdock root), green beans, onions, and mushrooms are popular kakiage ingredients. Vegetables are usually shredded or julienned.
  3. 3. Seafood: Smaller shellfish, like shrimp and scallops, are common kakiage ingredients. Larger kinds of seafood can be chopped into bite-size pieces for frying.

3 Ways to Serve Kakiage

Kakiage can be served simply with a dipping sauce, as part of a bento box, or as an entree with rice, sushi, or noodles.

  1. 1. Donburi: Kakiage is a common topping for donburi, or rice bowls. This dish is typically called kakiage-don.
  2. 2. Nigiri: Kakiage nigiri is a tiny piece of kakiage placed on an oval mound of sushi rice and tied together with nori (dried seaweed).
  3. 3. Noodles: Kakiage is a typical topping for hot noodle soups made with udon or soba.

Japanese Vegetable Kakiage Recipe

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14 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

4

prep time

20 min

total time

50 min

cook time

30 min

Ingredients

  1. 1

    Prepare the tempura batter. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks with 2 cups cold water, whisking until fully incorporated.

  2. 2

    Add ¼ cup of ice cubes and set the bowl aside.

  3. 3

    Prepare a shallow bowl of flour for dredging the vegetables.

  4. 4

    Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

  5. 5

    In a large skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 360 degrees Fahrenheit using a deep-fry or candy thermometer. (You can also test the temperature once you’ve made the batter by adding a drop of batter to the hot oil. The batter should sink to the middle of the oil—not to the bottom—and then quickly pop up to the surface.)

  6. 6

    While the oil heats, finish the tempura batter. Add the flour to the ice water mixture and mix together using a bundle of four chopsticks. With the chopsticks pointy-side down in one hand, quickly mash the flour into the wet ingredients to form a thick batter with the texture of lumpy cream. Do not mix for more than 30 seconds.

  7. 7

    When the oil is ready, place the vegetables in a large bowl and lightly sprinkle the veggies with flour and toss to coat.

  8. 8

    Pour the tempura batter over the vegetables and use chopsticks to toss, lightly coating ingredients with batter.

  9. 9

    Using a large spoon, scoop spoonfuls of batter-coated vegetables into the hot oil. If the kakiage starts to separate, use chopsticks and/or a spatula to press the kakiage against the side of the pot.

  10. 10

    Fry the kakiage in small batches, filling only half of the skillet or deep fryer.

  11. 11

    Remove the kakiage using a slotted spoon or spider when they are light golden brown and crispy, flipping if necessary.

  12. 12

    Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and serve immediately with salt and/or dipping sauce.

  13. 13

    To make the dipping sauce, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, and dashi, and serve in small bowls.

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