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Japanese · Japan

Japanese Kakiage Mixed Tempura Fritters

Kakiage (かき揚げ) is a distinct form of tempura where multiple small ingredients are combined in a loose cluster and fried together as a single unit, rather than as individually-battered separate pieces. The name derives from 'kaki' (gathering/scraping) and 'age' (frying) — the action of gathering loosely battered ingredients and lowering them together into the oil. Key kakiage compositions: (1) Standard seasonal mix: onion strips, carrot julienne, mitsuba, and shrimp; (2) Sakura ebi kakiage (spring): the classic cherry blossom shrimp fritter; (3) Autumn sansai kakiage: mountain vegetables with light batter; (4) Corn kakiage: fresh corn kernels, the summer version. The technique requires very light, cold batter (more ice water, less mixing than standard tempura) applied just enough to hold the cluster together — if the batter is too thick, the interior steams rather than fries. The clusters are formed on a serving spoon or spatula, then slid gently into the oil. The characteristic of excellent kakiage is an open, lacy, irregular structure where the individual ingredients are visible through the batter — not a compact, dense fritter. It should appear almost like a cloud of battered ingredients briefly frozen in the moment of frying.

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ServesFour portions
Sourced0of 10 in BC
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the kakiage
1
medium onion
halved and cut into thin strips
Your own market
1
medium carrot
julienned
Your own market
120 g
small raw shrimp
peeled, deveined, kept cold
Your own market
40 g
mitsuba
stems cut into 3–4 cm lengths
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
plain flour or katakuriko
for pre-tossing the ingredients
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the batter
120 g
plain flour or tempura flour
sifted, kept cold
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
180 ml
iced water
very cold; more water than standard tempura batter
Your own market
1
egg yolk
cold
Your own market
For frying
1 L
neutral frying oil
such as rice bran or sunflower
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To serve
200 ml
tsuyu
dipping broth, ready-made or prepared from dashi, soy and mirin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II

The Method

1
Keep all prepared ingredients and the bowl for the batter in the refrigerator until the moment of frying. Warm ingredients will raise the batter temperature, advancing gluten development before the clusters reach the oil. Everything must be cold.
2
Combine the onion strips, carrot julienne, shrimp, and mitsuba in a bowl. Scatter over the tablespoon of flour or katakuriko and toss lightly to coat. This flour pre-toss creates adhesion points so the batter can bind the cluster without being applied thickly.
From the canon — Katakuriko (片栗粉, 'potato starch') is the Japanese kitchen's primary thickening and coating starch — used for ankake sauce thickening, karaage (Japanese fried… Katakuriko — Potato Starch and Its Uses →
3
Whisk the cold egg yolk briefly into the iced water, then pour the liquid over the sifted flour. Mix with chopsticks or a fork using no more than 5–6 strokes. The batter will be lumpy and appear under-mixed; this is correct. Streaks of dry flour are acceptable. Over-mixing develops gluten, producing a dense, heavy coating. The batter must remain thin, cold, and barely combined.
4
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 170 °C — slightly lower than individual tempura pieces, as the cluster's thermal mass requires a longer frying time to cook through. Verify the temperature with a thermometer or by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil: it should sink briefly then rise immediately, sizzling steadily.
5
Working quickly, place a large serving spoon or flat spatula over the bowl. Pile a loose mound of the floured ingredients onto the spoon — enough for a cluster no more than 1–1.5 cm thick. Spoon a small amount of batter over the mound, just sufficient to lightly coat and connect the ingredients. Do not compress. Slide the cluster gently from the spoon into the oil at surface level; dropping from height will scatter the cluster or drive it too deep.
6
Fry undisturbed for a minimum of 90 seconds. The underside must set and colour before any attempt to flip; turning too soon will cause the cluster to scatter. When the underside is pale golden and the cluster holds its form, turn once and fry the second side. The finished kakiage is pale gold, open, and lacy — the individual ingredients visible through the batter like objects suspended in amber. The structure should be irregular and cloud-like, not compact.
7
Lift from the oil and drain briefly on a wire rack, not paper, so the underside remains crisp. Serve immediately with tsuyu for dipping, or place over steamed rice and drizzle with tsuyu for kakiage-don.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Sakura ebi (dried cherry blossom shrimp) in season, mitsuba from a specialist Japanese supplier, and freshly milled tempura ko (soft wheat starch flour) used within the week — the batter is near-transparent and the shrimp colour reads through it.
02
Estate — Fresh, whole small shrimp peeled to order and kept on ice; market carrots and bunched mitsuba; sifted plain flour of low protein content combined with a little potato starch for lightness.
03
Market — Supermarket raw shrimp (cold-chain), standard plain flour, and bunched spring onions substituted for mitsuba — a reliable everyday kakiage that still achieves a lacy structure if the batter is kept cold and barely mixed.
04
House — Pre-peeled frozen shrimp thawed and thoroughly dried, bagged carrots, dried parsley in place of mitsuba, and all-purpose flour used straight — acceptable only if the cold discipline and minimal-mixing rule are observed without compromise.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Touch. All ingredients and the batter bowl feel distinctly cold to the hand before frying begins.
◇Sight. The batter appears lumpy and barely combined, with possible streaks of dry flour — not smooth.
◇Sound. A drop of batter sinks briefly then rises immediately with a steady, vigorous sizzle, confirming oil at 170 °C.
◇Sight. After 90 seconds the underside is pale gold and the cluster holds its shape when the edge is lifted — safe to flip.
◇Sight. The finished kakiage is open and lacy; individual ingredients are visible through the batter; the structure is irregular, not dense or compact.
◇Where it lives or dies. The batter must be mixed in no more than 5–6 strokes and kept cold throughout: over-mixing or warmth develops gluten and produces a dense, doughy interior that steams rather than fries, and no subsequent step can recover it.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Nikka From The Barrel
Nikka Whisky — Miyagikyo Distillery · Miyagikyo — Nikka Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia

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Without alcohol

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The whole pairing
Pillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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