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–+ servings

Authentic Kakiage (Mixed Vegetable Tempura)

Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chilling Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 
 

Batter

  • 150 ml water chilled
  • 100 ml carbonated water chilled
  • 150 g cake flour chilled
  • 30 g cornstarch chilled
  • 1 egg
  • 3 ice cubes
  • cooking oil for deep frying

Filling/Serving Suggestions

  • ½ yellow onions thinly sliced
  • ½ carrot julienned (matchsticks)
  • 6 boiled shrimp cut into 1 cm pieces (omit for vegetarians)
  • 5 green beans halved lengthways
  • 1 tbsp cake flour
  • sea salt optional for dipping
  • tsuyu sauce (noodle soup base) diluted, optional for dipping

Instructions 

  • Before you start, make sure the batter ingredients are thoroughly chilled. Mix 150 g cake flour and 30 g cornstarch in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. You can use this time to cut the vegetables.
    julienned carrot, sliced runner beans, thinly sliced onion and roughly chopped boiled shrimp on a wooden chopping board on a white background
  • Dry the cut ½ yellow onions, ½ carrot, 6 boiled shrimp and 5 green beans with kitchen paper and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp cake flour and mix until evenly coated.
    thinly sliced carrot, runner beans, onion and shrimp in a mixing bowl
  • Preheat a small pan of cooking oil to 180 °C (356 °F). Use a small pan and fry one at a time to improve the shape. While you wait for the oil to heat up, crack 1 egg into a bowl and add 150 ml water and 100 ml carbonated water. Whisk gently until combined.
    whisked egg and chilled water in a mixing bowl with silver whisk
  • If the egg mixture becomes foamy, scoop the bubbles out with a spoon.
    scooping bubbles out of whisked egg mixture
  • Pour the chilled dry ingredients into a sieve. Sift into the egg mixture one-third at a time and draw crosses using chopsticks to help prevent over mixing. It's okay if the final result has a few lumps.
    mixing flour into tempura batter by drawing crosses with chopsticks to avoid overmixing
  • Add 3 ice cubes to the batter.
    homemade tempura batter with ice cubes
  • Pour the batter into the bowl with the vegetables and shrimp and mix until evenly coated.
    Mixed vegetables and shrimp in tempura batter in a metal bowl mixed with wooden chopsticks
  • Once the oil is hot, scoop up a ladleful of mixture and carefully slide it into the hot oil. Be careful not to scoop up too much batter, focus on lifting up the ingredients.
    Using a ladle to scoop up kakiage batter and ingredients
  • Fry for 1 minute and 30 seconds on each side.
    kakiage shallow frying in a small pan
  • Transfer to a wire rack to drain any excess oil. Continue to fry one kakiage at a time.
    two pieces of kakiage draining on a wire rack in a metal container
  • Serve with sea salt or diluted tsuyu sauce (noodle soup base) for dipping and enjoy!