Tenkasu (天かす) or Agedama are crunchy tempura scraps of deep-fried batter. Follow my easy tutorial to learn how to make these homemade tempura bits for your takoyaki, okonomiyaki, tanuki udon, and mazesoba recipes.

What is Tenkasu (Agedama)

Tenkasu (天かす) or Agedama (揚げ玉) is crunchy scraps/crumbs made from tempura batter. It is commonly used in the fillings for Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, and Hiroshimayaki as it gives fluffier texture. It’s also used as toppings for Tanuki Udon or Soba to give an extra crunchy texture.

Where to Get Tenkasu?

You can purchase a packaged pre-made tenkasu and it’s usually in the dried food section of Japanese/Asian grocery stores or Amazon.

How to Store It

Once you open the package, I usually keep the package in a freezer, but refrigeration is a must.

How to Make Tenkasu (Agedama)

For those of you who can’t purchase Tenkasu at grocery stores, it is easy to make your tenkasu from scratch at home with common ingredients found in the grocery stores. You can make a large batch and store in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

Homemade Tenkasu (Agedama)

4.45 from 20 votes

Tenkasu (天かす) or Agedama are crunchy tempura scraps of deep-fried batter. Follow my easy tutorial to learn how to make these homemade tempura bits for your okonomiyaki, tanuki udon, takoyaki, and mazesoba recipes.

Print Pin

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: batch

Ingredients

▢ 4 Tbsp cake flour (you can make your own cake flour at home)
▢ 4 Tbsp iced water
▢ 2 cups neutral oil (you can reuse this oil after deep-frying)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions

In a medium pot, heat 2 cups neutral oil over medium-high heat to 350ºF (180ºC).
Mix 4 Tbsp cake flour and 4 Tbsp iced water in a medium bowl with cooking chopsticks until the flour is just incorporated. Do not overmix; try not to develop the gluten.
When the oil is 350ºF (180ºC), deep-fry the Tenkasu in batches. Scoop some batter with your cooking chopsticks, hold the chopsticks over the pot, and let the drops of batter fall into the hot oil. The batter will submerge and immediately pop up on the surface and float to the edge of the pot. Once the batter turns slightly golden, about 5–10 seconds, use a fine-mesh skimmer to scoop and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batter.

To Serve

Use your homemade Tenkasu to add crunch to your favorite recipes like Okonomiyaki, Mazesoba (Mazemen), Takoyaki, and Cold Tanuki Udon.

To Store

Store the Tenkasu in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 2–3 months.

Notes

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: tempura

©JustOneCookbook.com Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any website or social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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