Fried
Fried dishes
揚げ物
48 varieties
Fried dishes fall roughly into three families: tempura, where a thin batter draws out the ingredient's aroma; breaded dishes like tonkatsu and korokke that seal in juices; and fish-paste cakes like satsuma-age and jako-ten, set firm in hot oil. Port towns developed fried fish products from the day's catch, while inland regions settled on meat and vegetables. This section follows each pairing of coating and ingredient to the reasons it took shape.
Dishes tied to a place40
- Agemaki Yuba no Nimono揚げまき湯波の煮物Tochigi Nikkorolled, fried yuba simmered in a light broth, from Nikko
- Gane-ageがね揚げKumamoto Amakusajulienned sweet potato fried into a crab-leg shape
- Beni Shoga Ten紅しょうが天Osakadeep-fried red pickled ginger
- Chikin Chikin GoboチキンチキンごぼうYamaguchiChicken chicken gobo — bite-size fried chicken and burdock in a sweet soy glaze
- Chikin Nanbanチキン南蛮Miyazaki Nobeokafried chicken with sweet vinegar and tartar sauce
- Ebitenえび天Ehime Niihamaa fried cake of ground shrimp, shell and all, worked into tofu
- Fugu no Karaageふぐの唐揚げYamaguchideep-fried pufferfish, a homely counterpart to fugu sashimi
- Gaccho no Karaageがっちょの唐揚げOsakadeep-fried Osaka Bay dragonet, bones and all
- GaneがねKagoshimacrab-shaped sweet potato fritter
- GanmodokiがんもどきKyoto City, Kyotofried tofu and vegetable fritter
- GansuがんすHiroshima Kurebreaded fried fish cake
- Hatahata no Karaageはたはたの唐あげHyogowhole sandfish deep-fried until the bones turn crisp
- HatoshiハトシNagasaki City, Nagasakishrimp paste sandwich fritter
- Ishimochi Jako Karaageいしもちじゃこの唐揚げOkayamadeep-fried small cardinalfish
- Jako-tenじゃこ天Ehime Uwajimafried whole-fish paste cake
- Kogyo no Tempura湖魚の天ぷらShigatempura of Lake Biwa's small native fish
- Koi no Karaage鯉の唐揚げIbaraki Namegatadeep-fried farmed carp from Lake Kasumigaura
- Kujira no Tatsutaageくじらの竜田揚げYamaguchiwhale meat marinated and fried, a former school-lunch staple
- Kuro Hanpen Fry黒はんぺんフライShizuoka YaizuKuro-hanpen fry — Shizuoka's grey fish cake, breaded and deep-fried
- Kushikatsu串カツOsaka City, Osakaskewered and deep-fried cutlet
- Mehikari no Karaageめひかりの唐揚げMiyazaki Nobeokadeep-fried greeneye, bones and all, from the waters off Nobeoka
- Nagasaki Tempura長崎天ぷらNagasaki City, Nagasakifish and vegetables in a sweetened batter, eaten without dipping sauce
- Namazu no Tempuraなまずの天ぷらGunma Itakuradeep-fried catfish from Itakura's waterways
- Nebuto no Karaageねぶとの唐揚げHiroshima Fukuyamadeep-fried small cardinalfish from the Seto Inland Sea
- Ocha no Ha Tempuraお茶の葉天ぷらMiyazaki Hyuganew tea leaves battered and fried, salted straight from the oil
- Shiozuke Takenoko no Tenpura塩漬けタケノコの天ぷらChiba Otakitempura of salt-cured bamboo shoot
- Renkon no Hasami-ageれんこんのはさみ揚げIbaraki Namegatalotus root sandwich fritter
- Sakura Ebi no Kakiageサクラエビのかき揚げShizuoka City, Shizuokaa fritter of raw sakura shrimp from Suruga Bay
- Sasa Kamaboko Isobeage笹かまぼこの磯部揚げMiyagifish cake deep-fried in seaweed batter
- SenzankiせんざんきEhime Imabaribone-in chicken deep-fried whole, Imabari's version of karaage
- Shaku no Tempuraシャクの天ぷらKumamotodeep-fried mud shrimp eaten whole, shell and all
- Shirauo no Kakiage白魚のかき揚げShimane MatsueLake Shinji icefish fritters
- Shiroebi no Kakiage白えびのかき揚げToyamafritter of Toyama Bay's white shrimp
- Shiso-makiしそ巻きMiyagi Osakimiso-stuffed fried shiso leaf
- Surimi Ageすり身揚げToyamadeep-fried fish paste fritters
- Tatsuta-age竜田揚げNara Sangosoy-marinated starch-fried chicken
- TonkatsuとんかつTokyo Chuobreaded deep-fried pork cutlet
- Tori-tenとり天Oita Bepputempura-style fried chicken
- ZangiザンギHokkaido KushiroHokkaido-style marinated fried chicken
- Zerii FuraiゼリーフライSaitama Gyodaa deep-fried patty of okara and potato, coin-shaped and sauced
No single place of origin8
- Aji Frybreaded fried horse mackerel
- Ika Menchiminced squid and vegetable patty
- Kaki Frybreaded fried oyster
- Kakiagemixed tempura fritter
- Korokkemashed potato and meat croquette
- Nanban-zukefried fish marinated in sweet vinegar
- Satsuma-agesweet fried fish cake
- Tempurabattered and deep-fried seafood and vegetables
View all Fried dishes on the map
Before you go
The dishes behind chain flavors
The flavors of national chains are said to trace back to dishes from particular places. Pick a chain to see the dish behind it.
Tonkatsu Wako — nationwide tonkatsu chain since 1958
Tonkatsu Wako has served breaded pork cutlets since 1958. Korokke, a breaded croquette, belongs to the same fried yoshoku (Western-influenced) food family that spread from the Meiji era onward.
Tonkatsu Saboten — nationwide tonkatsu chain operated by Green House Foods
Tonkatsu Saboten began in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Kaki-fry (breaded fried oysters) belongs to the same fried yoshoku (Western-influenced) food family that spread from the Meiji era onward.
Katsukura — tonkatsu chain born in Kyoto
Katsukura began in Kyoto as a tonkatsu specialist. Korokke, a breaded croquette, belongs to the same fried yoshoku (Western-influenced) food family that spread from the Meiji era onward.
Matsunoya — low-price tonkatsu specialist chain from Matsuya Foods
Matsunoya is the tonkatsu specialist brand of Matsuya Foods, whose group began as a beef-rice and grilled-meat diner in Nerima, Tokyo. Katsudon is that same cutlet served as a rice bowl.
Karayama — karaage (fried chicken) specialist chain from Arcland Service
Karayama began as a karaage specialist chain in Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Hokkaido has its own regional fried chicken called zangi, made much like karaage but known under a different name.
Karayoshi — karaage specialist brand attached to Gusto family restaurants
Karayoshi is a karaage specialist brand run by the Skylark Group. Miyazaki has its own regional chicken dish derived from karaage: chikin nanban, fried chicken topped with tartar sauce.
Torisho — karaage specialist franchise chain
Torisho is a franchise-driven karaage specialist chain. Ehime has its own regional fried chicken derived from karaage: senzanki, boneless chicken marinated in garlic and ginger.
Nakatsu Karaage Souhonke Moriyama — multi-location karaage chain from Nakatsu, Oita
Souhonke Moriyama began in Nakatsu, Oita, a town known for its karaage. Marinating the chicken well before dredging and frying echoes the method behind tatsuta-age, fried chicken marinated in soy sauce and ginger.
Tempura Teishoku Makino — freshly-fried tempura set-meal chain from Torikizoku's parent, Toridoll
Tempura Teishoku Makino began in Hyogo and is known for insisting on serving each piece of tempura freshly fried. Ebiten (fried shrimp) and kakiage (mixed fritters) are among the most common tempura items it serves.
Kushikatsu Tanaka — kushikatsu (fried skewer) izakaya chain from Tokyo
Kushikatsu Tanaka began in Setagaya, Tokyo, as a kushikatsu specialist izakaya chain, its recipe said to be modeled on a kushikatsu shop in Nishinari, Osaka. Tonkatsu belongs to the same fried yoshoku (Western-influenced) food family that spread from the Meiji era onward.