Japanese cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Kakiage (Vegetable Tempura)

Fine strips of onion, carrot, and root vegetable bound in a thin tempura batter and fried into crisp fritters.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 150g black salsify or parsnip (traditionally burdock root/gobo)
• 120g flour
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• 1 egg
• 200ml ice water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1L frying oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Cut the onion into fine half-rings, and cut the carrots and salsify into 5cm long, matchstick-thin strips, dropping the salsify into cold water as you go.
2. Pat the vegetables completely dry, dust with 2 tbsp of the flour and the potato starch, and toss until every strip is coated in a thin film of flour.
3. Whisk the egg with the ice water and fold in the remaining flour with just a few strokes of chopsticks – the batter should stay lumpy and must not rest.
4. Add just enough batter to the vegetables so the strips barely hold together, and heat the frying oil to 170°C.
5. Working in batches, ladle a portion of vegetables onto a slotted spoon, slide it into the oil, and fry for 3–4 minutes into flat, pale golden fritters, flipping once.
6. Drain on a rack, season lightly with salt, and serve immediately with the soy sauce and rice vinegar dip.