Kakiage

Ingredients

• 1Bitter melonhalve lengthwise, scoop out the white pith, slice 5 mm thick (optional)
• 5¼ ozShrimppeeled and deveined, halve larger ones
• 1onioncut into thin strips
• 5¼ ozSweet potatopeeled, cut into thin half-moons (optional)
• 1carrotcut into fine 5 cm sticks (optional)
• 7 ozsquidraw, cut into narrow strips (optional)
• 2dried shiitakesoak 20 minutes in warm water, cut into 5 mm strips (optional)
• 6 ozWheat floursifted, for the batter; ready-made tempura flour works too
• 1Eggwhisk with the cold water
• ¾ cupwatercombined with the egg as the batter liquid
• ½ cupMilkused instead of egg and water as the batter liquid (optional)
• 4¼ cupsFrying oilneutral oil such as canola, 170–175 °C
• ½ cupTempura dipping saucefor dipping, mixed with grated daikon (optional)
• 1daikon radishfinely grated, left to steep in the dipping sauce for 30–60 minutes (optional)
• Sweet chili sauceserved as a dip (optional)

Method

1. Soak the dried shiitake in warm water for 20 minutes, then drain and cut into 5 mm strips.
2. Wash and trim the vegetables: cut the onion into thin strips, the carrot into sticks about 5 cm long, the peeled sweet potato into thin half-moons. Halve the bitter melon lengthwise, scoop out the white pith and slice 5 mm thick. Keep everything as fine and even as you can so it cooks through at the same rate.
3. Peel and devein the shrimp, pat them dry and halve the larger ones. Cut the raw squid into narrow strips.
4. For the dip, grate the daikon finely and let it steep in the tempura dipping sauce for 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Whisk the egg with the ice-cold water, add the sifted wheat flour and stir only briefly into a loose batter — a few small lumps are fine.
6. Add the vegetables, shiitake, shrimp and squid to the batter and turn them through so everything is only thinly coated.
7. Heat the frying oil in a deep pot to 170–345 °F. Working in batches, shape flat mounds on a ladle or between two spoons and let them slide carefully into the oil down the side of the pot.
8. Fry the fritters for about 5 minutes until crisp, turning once, then drain on kitchen paper. Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
9. Serve the kakiage hot, with the tempura dipping sauce with grated daikon (from step 4), with sweet chili sauce, or simply with salt and lemon.

Tips and variations

Instead of egg and ice-cold water, tempura flour can also be mixed with milk alone. The combination changes with the seasons: in spring, bamboo shoots with small shrimp, onion and mitsuba, or edamame, broad beans, onion and dried small fish; in summer, bitter melon, sweet potato and shrimp with sweet chili sauce. For a heartier version, fry raw squid with carrot, soaked shiitake and green beans, and flavour the frying oil with a little sesame oil. Bring the fritters to the table straight from the oil, with the tempura dipping sauce with grated daikon and a cold beer.