Kakiage

(かき揚げ, Tempura-Fried Vegetables and Seafood)

A tempura variety known as kakiage is distinguished by the use of flour and water, with the occasional addition of egg yolks, which creates a light coating and yields an incredibly crispy snack. Most commonly, it consists of thinly sliced vegetables such as carrots, onions, lotus roots, and sweet potatoes, but small pieces of seafood are also often used.

Coated ingredients are deep-fried until crispy, and the final result can be eaten on its own as a light main course that is typically served accompanied by dipping sauces. Alternatively, kakiage can be used as a topping for noodle or rice dishes.

Japan

WHERE TO EAT The best Kakiage in the world (according to food experts)

Andy Hayler and 1 other food critic.

"It is a sort of comfort food version of tempura, and very enjoyable it is too."

Kavita Favelle

"The shrimp kakiage were particularly good."

Arthur Che

"Their kakiage consisted mainly of small shrimp and green onions. Very tasty, with just the right balance of batter and ingredients."

Fei Zhu

"Kakiage was chock full of fresh, crunchy prawns and light batter with its crispiness tempered by the lightly salty tendon sauce; served on a bed of plump Japanese rice. Very good!"

Christian Chan

"We liked it so much we had seconds!"

Meng Yang

"The tempura batter was a bit thicker but still maintained its crispiness, while the shrimp and scallops were fresh and had a lovely natural sweetness. Now, this was a proper bowl of comfort food that I would happily eat every week."

The Foodventures of Little Miss Piggy and 1 other food critic.

"This is a must-try/order item! You wouldn't think it to be anything special when you're looking at the description of it on the menu but when you try it, you'll be absolutely mind blown at how you can make such an amazing dish with very simple ingredients."