Name: Kakiage (Tempura Fritters)
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: 1 egg (approx. 60g); 400 ml water (for egg water); 50–60g cake flour; Canola flower (nanohana), to taste; Shiitake mushrooms, to taste; Enoki mushrooms, to taste; Sakura shrimp (dried), to taste; Rice bran oil, enough to fill slightly less than half the depth of the frying pan; Taihaku (untoasted) sesame oil, a small amount

About "Kakiage (Tempura Fritters)"

A recipe for crispy kakiage that is easy to recreate at home, taught by the famous tempura restaurant 'Kusunoki'. Using canola flower, shiitake, enoki, and sakura shrimp, this guide introduces professional tips such as the golden ratio of egg water to cake flour, a misting hack, and a shaping method using a baking sheet. With proper oil temperature control and frying techniques, you can achieve foolproof results even in a standard home frying pan.

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Video Timestamps

Tips for Making "Kakiage (Tempura Fritters)"

Batter Prep
- Whisk 1 egg into 400 ml of water and strain through a chinois. To 100 ml of this egg water, gradually sift in 50g of cake flour using a miso strainer to prevent clumping. Chilling the flour in the freezer beforehand suppresses gluten development for a crispier finish.
Ingredient Prep
- Separate canola flower stems and leaves, slicing stems diagonally, and cut shiitakes radially. For dry ingredients, mist with water before dusting with flour to help it adhere. Using a wooden salad bowl maintains room temperature and prevents condensation, suppressing gluten.
Shaping
- After coating ingredients in batter, scoop bite-sized portions onto a baking sheet using a ladle or spoon instead of dropping them directly into oil. Avoid overhandling to preserve air pockets. Misting the portions with water before frying creates steam pockets for ultimate crispiness.
Frying Technique
- Use rice bran oil as a base with a tiny splash of Taihaku sesame oil. Heat to 176–178°C (approx. 350°F). Gently slide portions from the baking sheet into the oil without overcrowding. Fry for just under 2 minutes, raising the heat slightly at the end to drain excess oil.
Choosing Bowls
- Using a wooden salad bowl instead of stainless steel prevents condensation from temperature differences, which suppresses gluten development.

Ingredients for "Kakiage (Tempura Fritters)"

9 items

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1egg (approx. 60g)
400ml water (for egg water)
50–60gcake flour
Canolaflower (nanohana), to taste
Shiitakemushrooms, to taste
Enokimushrooms, to taste
Sakurashrimp (dried), to taste
Ricebran oil, enough to fill slightly less than half the depth of the frying pan
Taihaku(untoasted) sesame oil, a small amount

How to Make "Kakiage (Tempura Fritters)"

1
Crack 1 egg into 400 ml of ice-cold water and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
2
Strain the egg water mixture through a chinois (fine-mesh strainer).
3
Measure out 100 ml of the egg water, then gradually sift in 50g of freezer-chilled cake flour using a miso strainer, mixing gently to make the batter.
4
Place the canola flower in a wooden salad bowl, lightly mist with water using a spray bottle, and dust with flour.
5
Cut the shiitake mushrooms radially from the center into wedge shapes.
6
Finely chop the enoki mushrooms.
7
Prepare the sakura shrimp as they are.
8
In a bowl, combine the canola flower, shiitake, enoki, and sakura shrimp, then pour in the prepared batter and toss to coat.
9
Using a ladle or spoon, scoop bite-sized portions of the mixture onto a baking sheet and gently shape them.
10
Lightly mist the top of each portion with water using a spray bottle.
11
Pour rice bran oil into a frying pan and add a tiny splash of Taihaku sesame oil.
12
Heat the oil to 176–178°C (approx. 350°F).
13
Moisten your hands with a little egg water, then gently slide the portions from the baking sheet into the hot oil.
14
Watch closely to ensure they hold their shape, adding a little extra batter on top to reinforce them if needed.
15
Fry for just under 2 minutes, increasing the heat slightly at the very end to raise the oil temperature.
16
Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil, and let them cool slightly.

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

The combination of guanylic acid found in shiitake and enoki mushrooms with the umami compounds in sakura shrimp creates a powerful umami synergy. Additionally, using chilled ingredients and cake flour suppresses gluten development, while frying in hot oil rapidly evaporates moisture from the batter. This prevents excess oil absorption, resulting in a light, crispy texture.

Umami CompoundsMoisture Control

Detailed Commentary on "Kakiage (Tempura Fritters)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

The Quest for Crispy Kakiage

Chef Tadashi Kusunoki was approached by his filming crew, who lamented, 'We tried making delicious kakiage at home, but it turned out soggy and fell apart instead of being crispy.' To solve this, he decided to share the foolproof 'Kusunoki-style' method for making perfect kakiage at home. The ingredients used are common items you can easily find at any supermarket in 10 to 15 minutes. Featuring spring canola flower, shiitake, enoki, and fragrant sakura shrimp, this recipe allows anyone to easily recreate professional flavors. While kakiage is often thought of as difficult, the chef guides us through the process with fun anecdotes and simple, game-changing tips.

The Golden Ratio for Tempura Batter

As the first step to making delicious tempura, we start by preparing the essential egg water. Crack 1 egg (approx. 60g) into 400 ml of ice-cold water and whisk thoroughly. Straining this mixture through a chinois (fine-mesh strainer) removes any stringy egg whites for a uniform texture and helps eliminate air bubbles. Next, mix this egg water at a ratio of 100 ml to approximately 50g of flour (cake flour). To prevent clumping, sift the flour gradually using a miso strainer while mixing to create a thin batter (referred to as 'mud' by professionals). Chilling the flour in the freezer beforehand is key, as it suppresses gluten development and yields a much crispier texture.

Prep Hacks: Cutting and Misting

Instead of stainless steel, a wooden salad bowl is highly recommended for holding the chopped ingredients. Wood maintains a stable room temperature and prevents condensation caused by temperature differences, which helps suppress gluten formation. For the star ingredient, canola flower, separate the thick stems from the leaves to ensure even cooking, and slice the stems diagonally. Here, the chef shares a secret trick: since dry canola flower doesn't hold flour well, lightly mist it with water using a spray bottle before dusting. This ensures the flour adheres perfectly. Cutting the shiitake radially from the center thins out the slow-cooking core while keeping the highly fragrant caps large. Finely chopping the enoki adds volume and a subtle, elegant sweetness.

Setting Up the Pan and Oil

To make this recipe easy to replicate at home, the chef bypasses professional restaurant equipment in favor of a standard T-fal frying pan brought from his own home, using a heat source equivalent to a typical home gas stove. The base frying oil is rice bran oil, which yields a light, clean finish. You only need enough oil to submerge the ingredients halfway—slightly less than half the depth of the pan. As a secret touch for extra flavor, add just a tiny splash of Taihaku sesame oil. This adds an elegant, deep richness and aroma without the overpowering scent of toasted sesame oil. With oil prices rising, there is no need to fry exclusively in expensive oils; using everyday oils creatively is the true wisdom of home cooking.

Shaping the Fritters on a Tray

Once the ingredients are combined, pour in the batter (made from 100 ml of egg water and 50–60g of flour). Instead of spooning the mixture directly into the hot oil, the chef introduces a revolutionary method: shaping them on a baking sheet first. Using a ladle or spoon, scoop bite-sized portions of the mixture onto the baking sheet. Squeezing them by hand collapses the internal air pockets and ruins the crispiness, so the key is to shape them gently with minimal handling. If your hands get sticky, moisten your fingertips with a little egg water or plain water. Once neatly rounded on the baking sheet, lightly mist the tops with water one last time. This moisture evaporates instantly upon hitting the hot oil, creating crispy air pockets within the batter.

Frying Secrets for Ultimate Crunch

Aim for an oil temperature of 176–178°C (approx. 350°F). When adding the portions to the oil, moisten your hands with a little egg water and gently slide them off the baking sheet into the pan. Avoid overcrowding, as adding too many at once will cause the oil temperature to drop rapidly; fry in batches appropriate for your pan size. The golden rule is to leave them untouched at first so they don't fall apart. If any part looks like it might separate, reinforce it by drizzling a tiny bit of extra batter on top. The total frying time is just under 2 minutes. Right before removing them, turn up the heat slightly to raise the temperature; this forces excess oil out of the batter, making them incredibly light and non-greasy. Transfer immediately to paper towels to drain, and let them cool slightly.

Tasting, Haru's Challenge, and Recap

Next, Haru, a first-year apprentice chef, tries his hand at making kakiage. Under the chef's guidance, he monitors the oil temperature, slides the portions in, and successfully fries beautifully crispy kakiage. During the tasting, they break one open to reveal that the inside is not dense like okonomiyaki, but light and airy with distinct layers of ingredients. The savory aroma of the sakura shrimp and the pleasant bitterness of the canola flower pair perfectly, making them delicious with just a pinch of salt. Remarkably, the cost of ingredients for this kakiage is incredibly low—only about 30 yen per piece. The chef concludes by encouraging viewers to discover the joy of deep-frying at home without overthinking it, ending the video with a call to subscribe and like.

About くすのきチャンネル

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