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.
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.
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.