Corn Kakiage
One of my favorite dishes to order at Japanese restaurants / izakayas. It's super simple but incredibly delicious and satisfying. The best part is how the clumped together corn kernels form an irregular texture that makes for a super satisfying crisp. It's also not quite like typical tempura -- it's a bit less batter and crispier, which is perfect for the irregular texture. It's a nice blank canvas that goes well with all kinds of herbs (parsley, coriander, basil, etc), seasonings (green tea salt, truffle salt, etc), spices, and dipping sauces. Try it with whatever you're feeling!
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Ingredients
> corn kernels (~2 cups)
> AP flour (1/3 cup)
> seltzer water (~3 tbsp)
> salt
> oil for frying
> spices / herbs / seasonings / dipping sauces of your choice
Instructions
1. Mix together corn kernels, herbs (if using) and AP flour to coat all corn kernels.
2. Add seltzer water, and mix until just combined. The corn kernels should sort of loosely stick together; you can consider adding a touch more water if needed.
3. Deep-fry in oil at 350F. I suggest forming large-ish tablespoon-sized clumps of corn mixture. Flip a few times as needed.
4. Once they're fully cooked and the batter is lightly golden and crispy, let drain on a wire rack or paper towel.
5. Season with spices / seasonings of your choice, and serve with dipping sauces of your choices.
Notes/Tips:
> In recipes I've seen, I think tempura flour and seltzer water are recommended as ways to make the result more crispy. In practice, I wasn't able to find tempura flour so I just used AP flour, and seltzer vs regular water probably doesn't make that big of a difference either. Feel free to substitute if you can't find either.
> The easiest is to probably use frozen corn kernels -- removing the kernels from the husk can be a little bit annoying. Apparently, thawing them but keeping them cold is best -- "low temperature slows down the gluten development and makes tempura crispy"
> The most common seasoning I see this served with is green tea salt, which you can make with some matcha powder + salt. My personal favorite is truffle salt. Aioli is also pretty common.
> Don't overcrowd the pot -- it's important to keep the temperature of the oil high so that it fries and crisps well.