Karinto

These traditional Japanese crisp, sweet snacks are surprisingly easy to make at home, with cooked pieces of dough then simmered in a rich caramel sauce.

Karinto. Credit: Smith Street Books / Emiko Davies

• makes

  50-60

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 100 g (⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• pinch of salt
• 60 ml (¼ cup) water (or as needed)
• vegetable oil, for frying

Caramel

• 120 g (4½ oz) black Okinawan sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp water
• 1–2 tsp soy sauce (see Note)

Resting time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, oil and salt in a bowl and mix until you have a shaggy dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead to a springy, smooth dough. Let this rest for at least 10 minutes, covered.
2. Roll the dough into a long oval about 3–5 mm (¼ in) thick. Cut into long strips, about 5 cm (2 in) wide, and then into 5 mm (¼ in) sticks.
3. Pour vegetable oil into a small saucepan to about 3 cm (1 inch) deep. Heat to 160°C (320°F) over medium heat. When it’s hot enough that a chopstick inserted into the oil is immediately surrounded by lots of tiny bubbles, start frying the dough sticks – you might need to do this in batches. Fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
4. While the dough sticks are cooling, heat the caramel ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer gently until you can draw a line on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and toss the karinto immediately into the hot caramel until coated – you might also need to do this in a couple of batches. Let them dry on a wire cooling rack. They should turn matte and not be sticky once completely cooled.
5. These keep well in an airtight container for several days.

Note

• These traditional crisp fried snacks have a mysterious past. Some believe karinto date back to the Nara period (the eighth century) as a sweet treat reserved for the elite; others think they were introduced from abroad, either by the Chinese, or in the 16th century by the Portuguese, who brought other fried dishes such as tempura. Either way, karinto were a beloved street food by the 1800s. You can now even find savoury versions, with flavours of Japanese curry, sesame or even wasabi, but the most traditional are these deep, dark caramel ones.
• Karinto are not something you would usually make at home, partly because, if you live in Japan, there are many wonderful speciality shops selling them. But, since I don’t, I was delighted to find out how easy they are to make. My friend, Yuta Mizoguchi, a wonderful chef, showed me how to roll and fry these and, up to that stage, they reminded me of Tuscan ‘cenci’, a special fried carnival treat dusted in powdered sugar. But then the fried pieces of dough went into a dark caramel sauce, traditionally made with black sugar from Okinawa, which imparts an almost balsamic flavour and creates a hard coating. I put a splash of soy sauce in the caramel, which gives it a salty edge. Use the full 2 teaspoons of soy sauce if you want a more pronounced flavour, and 1 teaspoon for a subtle hint – I prefer the former. These are wonderful with a cup of green tea, or even sake.

This is an edited extract from The Japanese Pantry by Emiko Davies (Smith Street Books)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.