Japanese Street-Style Roasted Onion Kakiage Fritters

About This Recipe

Kakiage is a style of mixed-vegetable tempura found at Japanese street stalls and noodle shops, where thin-cut vegetables are bound loosely with a light batter and fried into a crisp, irregular clump rather than individually coated. This version leans on roasted onion for sweetness, which caramelizes further in the hot oil and gives the fritters a deep, savory edge. The trick to kakiage is a very cold, barely-mixed batter — overworking it develops gluten and the fritters turn tough instead of shatteringly crisp. Roasting the onion beforehand also removes excess moisture, which keeps the oil from spitting and helps the fritters hold together without turning greasy. Serve them hot, straight out of the oil, with a simple dipping sauce or over noodles, the way you would find them at a Tokyo standing-noodle counter.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2yellow onions(roasted and thinly sliced)
• 1carrot(julienned)
• 0.5 cupall-purpose flour
• 0.25 cupcornstarch
• 0.75 cupice-cold water
• 1egg yolk
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 2 cupsneutral oil(for frying)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce(for dipping sauce)
• 1 tbspmirin(for dipping sauce)
• 0.25 cupdashi or water(for dipping sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the onion

   Toss sliced onion with a little oil and roast at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes until browned at the edges and softened. Let cool.

   Roasting removes moisture, which is what keeps the fritters crisp instead of soggy.

2. 2

   Make the batter

   Whisk egg yolk into ice-cold water. Sift flour, cornstarch and salt together, then pour in the liquid and stir just 3-4 times with chopsticks — the batter should look lumpy.

   Overmixing develops gluten and makes the fritters dense.

3. 3

   Combine

   Add the roasted onion and julienned carrot to the batter and fold gently until just coated.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Heat oil in a wide pot or wok to 175°C (350°F).

5. 5

   Fry the fritters

   Drop loose clumps of the vegetable mixture, about 2 tablespoons each, into the oil. Fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crisp, working in batches.

6. 6

   Drain and serve

   Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a rack or paper towels. Simmer soy sauce, mirin and dashi briefly for the dipping sauce and serve hot.

Variations

• •

  Add small shrimp or shredded chicken for a heartier version.

• •

  Use sweet potato or burdock root in place of carrot for more traditional kakiage flavor.

• •

  Serve over a bowl of udon in hot dashi broth instead of with dipping sauce.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. If needed, store cooled fritters in the fridge up to 1 day and re-crisp in a 200°C oven for 5-6 minutes rather than microwaving.

Frequently Asked Questions