Kakiage
I had kakiage for the first time at Sumika, and it was one of the greatest things I've eaten. It was so satisfying -- crisp and intensely savory. Goes delightfully as a side to something soupy, like udon. This was made with onion, carrot, green onion, sweet potato, and burdock root, but realistically speaking you could pretty much make it with whatever vegetables you want (as long as it holds its shape reasonably), or even seafood / meat. It's a little time-consuming to make (it involves a lot of slicing), but the end result is really rewarding.
Active Time: 40 min
Total Time: 40 min
Ingredients
> flour (100g)
> corn starch (100g)
> salt
> cold sparkling water (250g)
> red onion
> carrot
> green onions
> sweet potato
> burdock root
> ponzu sauce / truffle salt / sauce of your choice
Instructions
1. Make the batter by slowly mixing together the flour, corn starch, salt, and sparkling water until you get a smooth, thick pancake batter with a dropping consistency.
2. Peel and slice all the vegetables into fine strips. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and mix with just enough batter to bind them all together.
3. Preheat a pot with oil at 350F.
4. Spoon portions of the battered vegetables and cook a few at a time until golden brown, turning halfway, about ~2-3 minutes. Set aside and let drain on a wire rack / paper towels. Repeat until done.
5. Serve immediately with a ponzu sauce, some other dipping sauce of your preference, or just with salt.
Notes/Tips:
> The cold sparkling water supposedly helps with the crispness of the batter, it's pretty much the same technique as tempura batter.
> I prefer to slice the vegetables into fine but not _too_ fine strips. I think the ideal length for the strips is a couple of inches; this gives it a nice texture while also allowing it to be a bit more malleable.
> Choose whatever ratio of ingredients you prefer for the vegetables. A single sweet potato is a lot though and you probably won't need that much, maybe just a half or third of one.