Deep-fried Rice Crackers (Age Okaki)
These Deep-fried Rice Crackers are made from mochi (rice cakes). That’s why they are not called ‘osenbei’ but called ‘okaki’. By simply deep-frying mochi and sprinkling salt over them, you can make delicious Japanese snacks. You can buy similar crackers at Japanese/Asian grocery stores, but nothing beats home-made Age Okaki. They are so addictive.Cook Time assumes that the rice cake pieces are deep-fried in two batches. Drying Time can vary depending on the size of the rice cake pieces and the humidity in the atmosphere.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 rectangle rice cakes ((50g / 1.8oz each, note 1))
- Oil for deep-frying
- 2-3 pinches of salt ((note 2))
- 1 tsp aonori ((note 3))
Instructions
- 1
Slice each rice cake into about 5mm thick pieces (note 4).
- 2
Put the rice cake slices on a rack, without overlapping.
- 3
Place the rack on a table/bench to dry for about 3⅜ days (note 5). They should show fractures. They sometimes even crack a bit.
- 4
Heat oil to 160°C / 320°F. The depth of the oil should be about 2cm.
- 5
Add the rice cake pieces to the oil (note 6) and fry for about 10 minutes until the rice cake explodes in the centre (sometimes a couple of times) and the surface becomes light golden brown. The fried rice cake should be almost double in size. occasionally turn the rice cracker pieces while frying.
- 6
Transfer to the tray lined with kitchen paper to drain excess oil.
- 7
Sprinkle salt (and aonori if using) over while hot.
- 8
Serve when cooled down.