Chikuwa Isobe-age (Fried Fish Cake with Seaweed Batter)

Name: Chikuwa Isobe-age (Fried Fish Cake with Seaweed Batter)
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: Chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake) 4 spears; Flour (all-purpose) 4 tbsp; Aonori (green seaweed flakes) 2 tsp; Vegetable oil About 200 ml; Water 4 tbsp; Salt A pinch

🍱 For a bento

Serves 2 · About 15 min
Chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake) coated in batter mixed with aonori, then shallow-fried in a small amount of oil. Easy to pack in a bento.

① Cut the chikuwa→② Make the batter→③ Heat the oil→④ Shallow-fry

What to buy

Fish cakes

Chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake)4 spears

Flour & dry goods

Flour (all-purpose)4 tbspAonori (green seaweed flakes)2 tsp

Check what you already have

Vegetable oilAbout 200 mlWater4 tbspSaltA pinch

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How to make it

Cut the chikuwa

About 2 min

Put the chikuwa on a cutting board and cut in half lengthwise
Then cut in half across (4 pieces from each, 16 in all)
Pat the surface dry with a paper towel

How to tell it's doneIt is cut into 16 pieces, and the surface is not wet.

Make the batter

About 2 min

In a bowl, put 4 tbsp flour, 2 tsp aonori and a pinch of salt and mix
Add 4 tbsp water and mix lightly with cooking chopsticks
Add the chikuwa and coat all over with batter

How to tell it's doneAll the chikuwa is coated with batter speckled with green.

Heat the oil

Medium heatAbout 5 min

Pour vegetable oil 1 cm deep (about 200 ml) into a frying pan and put over medium heat
Check the oil temperature: put the tip of dry cooking chopsticks in the oil. If small bubbles keep fizzing from the tip, it's about 170°C. If there are almost no bubbles, it's not hot enough yet. If big bubbles rush out hard, it's too hot, so turn the heat down

How to tell it's doneSmall bubbles keep fizzing from the tip of the chopsticks.

Be carefulOil may splatter. Do not leave while frying. Turn off the heat as soon as you're done, and clean up the oil only after it has cooled completely.

Shallow-fry

Medium heatAbout 3 min

Gently lay the chikuwa pieces in one at a time, starting from the side near you. If they do not all fit, do 2 batches
After 1 1/2 minutes, turn over with cooking chopsticks and fry 1–1 1/2 more minutes
Put on a rack or paper towels to drain the oil
Turn off the heat. Put on a plate

How to tell it's doneThe batter has set, and the edges are light golden brown. When you hold one with cooking chopsticks, the surface is crispy. Chikuwa is already cooked, so it is done once the batter sets and it is hot all the way through.

Be carefulOil may splatter. Do not leave while frying. Turn off the heat as soon as you're done, and clean up the oil only after it has cooled completely.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hitotsumami & shoushou (a pinch)

If it didn't work out

The coating comes offWater was left on the chikuwa. Next time, pat the surface dry in step 1 before coating.

The coating is soggyThe oil was not hot enough. Next time, check the bubbles in step 3 and add a few at a time.

It burnedThe heat was too high. Aonori burns easily, so take them out as soon as they are golden brown.

The chikuwa puffed up and burstIt was fried too long. Next time, take it out 1 minute after turning it.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me