Japanese Corn Tempura Recipe
The original name of this recipe is tōmorokoshi no gansekiage, but it's so difficult to remember that I know I would never be able to recall it, search for it when I needed it, or recommend it to someone else. That's why I decided to call it "Japanese Corn Tempura," the name it's commonly known by in English, while mentioning its original Japanese name here.
I first came across corn tempura through American food creators on social media. Most of them prepare it using boxed cake flour. Among all the recipes I watched, only one used cornstarch instead of flour, and it looked noticeably crispier than the others. Inspired by that version, I decided to use only cornstarch, and the result was incredibly crispy. Of course, the absence of eggs also plays an important role. Although corn tempura looks a bit like a fritter, it isn't an egg-based batter like most fritter recipes, which is what places it in the tempura category.
Tempura is a Japanese cooking technique in which ingredients are coated in a light, pourable batter made primarily from flour and water before being deep-fried. There are many variations, some using starch instead of flour or sparkling water instead of still water to achieve a lighter texture. Well-known examples include fish and chips, eggplant tempura, and fried mussels. Since coating individual corn kernels in tempura batter would be rather impractical, this version is prepared as small fritter-like clusters instead.
Many of the recipes I found used garlic powder or crumbled nori sheets to add extra flavor. I happened to have some dried wakame on hand, which I don't get to use very often, so I added that instead. It gave the fritters a pleasant hint of the sea that I really enjoyed. Since it's only used as a flavoring, however, it's completely optional. If you don't have wakame or simply prefer not to use it, there's no need to replace it with anything. If you'd like to experiment with different flavors, garlic powder, nori, parsley, or dill would all work well.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 250 g canned sweet corn, drained,
- 3 tbsp cornstarch,
- 3 tbsp water,
- Salt, to taste,
- 2 pinches dried wakame, crumbled (optional),
- Oil of your choice, for frying.
Preparation
- Place the drained corn in a mixing bowl and add the cornstarch. Stir until the kernels are evenly coated,
- Gradually add the water, mixing until everything comes together,
- Season with salt and stir in the wakame, if using,
- Heat enough vegetable oil in a wide frying pan to generously coat the bottom,
- Spoon small portions of the mixture into the hot oil,
- Fry until the undersides are golden brown, then carefully flip and cook the other side until crisp and golden,
- Transfer to a wire rack or paper towels to drain before serving.
Enjoy!