Agemono
(揚げ物, Japanese Deep-Fried Food)
In Japanese cuisine, the term agemono refers to any kind of deep-fried dishes, and includes the three basic frying techniques: suage, in which the foods are fried without a coating of flour or batter; karaage, a method where food is first coated in flour or arrowroot starch which preserves its natural water content and produces a crispy outer surface; and koromo-age, in which foods are coated in batter before frying, just like tempura dishes.
While koromo-age is most appropriate for seasonal fish, seafood and vegetables; suage technique is mostly used for frying freshwater fish, eggplant, green peppers and other vegetables whose color, texture and shape can be utilized to good effect.
Lastly, karaage is typically used for meat, most often chicken, and includes a variant called tatsutaage, where pieces of chicken are first marinated in a mixture of sake, soy sauce and sugar, lightly covered with arrowroot starch and then deep-fried. Read more
Also, there is the so-called furai or kawari-age (lit. different deep-frying), a relatively novel technique which came from the West - it refers to breaded and deep-fried foods. Agemono dishes are traditionally prepared in the so-called agemono nabe, a thick-bottomed pot made from either cast iron or heavy brass which ensures an even temperature of the oil during frying.
Agemono nabe is usually used in combination with metal-ended saibashi chopsticks, a net ladle or scoop called ami shakushi, and abura kiri, a special tool used to drain the excess oil after frying.
