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Active Time:1 hrTotal Time:1 hrServings:4
Active Time:1 hr
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Total Time:1 hr
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Servings:4
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4
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When I see asparagus at the farmers' market in springtime, or eggplants and carrots growing in my summer garden, I get inspired to make kakiage. Kakiage is an “all-in-one” tempura. It consists of bits of vegetables or a combination of seafood and vegetables deep-fried into a fritter. I love deep-frying vegetables, especially when I see good ones, because deep-frying is like steaming: You seal the moisture and flavor of the ingredient and its nutrients inside that crispy crust. You can taste the sweetness and umami that a boiled vegetable just can’t deliver. I learned early on in my life that onions turned magically sweet when deep-fried. It became one of my favorite kakiage ingredients.
Kakiage was a staple on the lunch menu at my school in Japan. The batter was thick and heavy—in fact, it was mostly batter and onions. Made earlier in the day and reheated, these kakiage fritters didn’t live up to the crispy ones my mother made, but still had a hearty chew.
Kakiage was my mother’s strategy to get her five children to eat more vegetables. It was also a clever way to get rid of kitchen scraps in the fridge. Sometimes, we got lucky and had pieces of cut-up shrimp in the kakiage mix.
Once, when we were living in Pasadena, California, my parents invited the high priest of the Todaiji temple in Nara, Japan, to our house. My mother decided she would make tempura. I remember how austere the priest looked with his shiny shaved head and black robe. My mother, along with her kitchen helpers—which included me and my two sisters—peeled the shrimp, chopped the onions and minced the mitsuba leaves.
My mother reserved the jumbo shrimp for the priest and served it to him whole, right out of the hot sizzling oil. But soon after, she realized the dire mistake she had made: Many Buddhist practitioners are vegan, and, of course, being the high priest of a famous Buddhist temple, he was one. In a slight panic mode, my mother rushed back to the kitchen to make a vegetable kakiage, assembling the bowl with bits of onions and herbs, and directed me to julienne some carrots. While the commotion was happening in the kitchen, the priest went on talking to my father and nonchalantly took a bite of the tail of the shrimp to show appreciation to my mother. Visiting a Japanese home in America was probably a nice break for the priest, even if the meal started wrong. He praised my mother’s vegetable kakiage.
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)IngredientsShrimp & Vegetables1poundmedium shrimp (preferably wild), peeled and deveined1mediumcarrot, peeled½mediumonion, peeled3tablespoonsroughly chopped parsley, shiso, cilantro or dill leavesTempura Batter1large egg¾cupice-cold water, plus more as needed1cupplus 2 tablespoons cake flour, divided1tablespoonpotato starch or cornstarchFrying & Serving3cupsgrapeseed oil1cupsesame oilLemon wedges, flaky sea salt and/or soy sauce for serving
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
Shrimp & Vegetables
1poundmedium shrimp (preferably wild), peeled and deveined
1mediumcarrot, peeled
½mediumonion, peeled
3tablespoonsroughly chopped parsley, shiso, cilantro or dill leaves
Tempura Batter
1large egg
¾cupice-cold water, plus more as needed
1cupplus 2 tablespoons cake flour, divided
1tablespoonpotato starch or cornstarch
Frying & Serving
3cupsgrapeseed oil
1cupsesame oil
Lemon wedges, flaky sea salt and/or soy sauce for serving
Directions
To prepare shrimp & vegetables:Cut each shrimp crosswise into 5 pieces. Blot with paper towels to dry. Julienne carrots into thin matchsticks about 2 1⁄2 inches long. Slice onion into similar-size matchsticks.
Combine the sliced shrimp, vegetables and herbs in a medium bowl. Add the reserved 2 tablespoons flour; toss to coat the shrimp and vegetable pieces evenly.
To fry tempura:Line a sheet pan or large plate with paper towels. Combine grapeseed oil and sesame oil in a 2-quart Dutch oven or a deep heavy-bottomed 9- or 10-inch frying pan (see Tip). You should have enough oil in the pan to reach about 1¼ inches in depth. Clip a deep-fry or candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 335°F. It’s crucial to keep the temperature of the oil stable and hot. To find the right temperature, drop a pinch of batter into the hot oil. If it falls halfway down and sizzles up, it is a little too hot, but still good for frying most seafood and vegetables. If it falls to the bottom and then sizzles to the top right away, it is right for all foods. Test again, until the optimum temperature is reached.
Place about 1/4 cup of the flour-coated shrimp and vegetable mixture in a small (teacup-size) bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of the chilled tempura batter tolightlycoat the vegetable mixture. Slide (do not drop!) the mixture into the hot oil from the side of the pan. Quickly spread the mixture with a pair of chopsticks to make an oblong or round fritter. Add only 1 or 2 fritters to the pot at a time to allow movement and maintain the optimum temperature while frying.
When the fritters turn slightly crisp and the bubbles nearly subside, flip them over. Fry until lightly golden on both sides. Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon or chopsticks, letting excess oil drip off before transferring to the prepared paper-towel-lined pan. The kakiage will continue to cook a little while resting, so be careful not to overcook it. Repeat the procedure with the remaining shrimp, vegetables and batter.
Serve the tempura immediately with sea salt, lemon wedges and/or soy sauce, if desired.
EquipmentDeep-fry or candy thermometer
Equipment
Deep-fry or candy thermometer
TipUse a heavy pot or pan; thin aluminum pans do not work. It should be about 3 inches in depth to hold the oil; shallow and thin pans will result in initial high temperature and sudden lowering of temperature when frying.
Tip
Use a heavy pot or pan; thin aluminum pans do not work. It should be about 3 inches in depth to hold the oil; shallow and thin pans will result in initial high temperature and sudden lowering of temperature when frying.
EatingWell.com, June 2021
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Nutrition Facts(per serving)515Calories29gFat35gCarbs28gProtein
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
