Tenkasu is Tempura batter that has been deep-fried to become crispy bits and pieces. It is also called Agedama in the Tokyo area. Tenkasu or Agedama is used in various Japanese dishes and a useful ingredient to know when it comes to Japanese cooking. It can be bought in bags at stores, but it is very easy to make at home with simple ingredients.
Tenkasu is basically made from flour and water, deep-fried in oil. These somewhat greasy bits give dishes a deeper and richer flavor as an ingredient or a topping. Tenkasu is often used as a topping for Soba or Udon noodles in hot soup, or one of the ingredients to mix in to Takoyaki. The crunchy bits turn soft, absorbing the soup of the noodle dish or wet batter, and also release oil into the dishes to make them tastier. Even though each Tenkasu piece is small, it has a big Tempura flavor people love.
We used several chopsticks to drop Tenkasu batter into hot oil to make round pieces, but a silicon brush would work well too. You can keep Tenkasu in the freezer for several months, so make extra for now and future use.
Tenkasu Tempura Bits
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cake flour or all purpose flour
- 5-6 Tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- deep-frying oil
Instructions
- Whisk flour, water, and vinegar together in a bowl.
- Heat oil at medium high heat (350F or 175C). Drop the batter in small drops with a brush or several chopsticks in oil. Scoop out fried batter when it starts floating on the surface and browning. Set on a paper towel.
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