Karinto: Classic Japanese Deep-Fried Dough Snack
Have you ever heard of “Karinto (かりんとう)”? It is actually a traditional Japanese snack food with several hundred years of history.
Karinto (かりんとう)
Karinto is a kind of deep-fried dough cookie (stick) made from wheat flour, yeast, and sugar, and usually coated with brown sugar syrup, then dried.
Because of its brown sugar coating, the traditional Japanese confection or wagashi has a savory sweetness and is pretty hard, crunchy in texture.
So the longer you chew on the deep-fried dough stick, the more the flavor comes out and the tastier it becomes.
In Japan, Karinto has been a favorite “Dagashi (駄菓子)” snack and long been loved by both children and adults.
It is an everyday casual snack that is inexpensive and is available at most supermarkets around the country.
Varieties and Flavors
In modern times, Karinto comes in many varieties. Some are actually produced also by long-established wagashi shops and are expensive.
Its deep-fried dough is traditionally coated in brown sugar but recent ones have various flavors and even contain food like sesame seeds, peanuts, vegetables, Matcha green tea powder, or buckwheat flour.
Recipe using Udon Noodles
It may be difficult to make Karinto snacks at home from scratch like Japanese confectionery companies do. But just with Udon noodles and this recipe from Cookpad.com, you can easily make authentic Karinto.
So last, for those of you who are interested in the recipe, let me translate it into English.
Instructions
Image: cookpad.com
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Udon noodles | 1 bag |
| Wheat flour | A proper amount |
| Vegetable oil | A proper amount |
| Sugar | A proper amount |
| Water | A proper amount |
- First, boil the Udon noodles and untwist in the water
- Remove moisture from the noodles with a paper towel and coat with flour and sugar
- Heat some vegetable oil in a pan and put in the Udon strips one by one
- Deep-fry the noodles until golden brown, then take them out from the pan
- Prepare sauce: Put sugar and water in another pan and simmer the mixture until it becomes viscous
- When the sauce becomes viscous, add in the deep-fried Udon noodles and coat well while cooking over a low heat
- Transfer the cooked noodles to a large plate and let them cool down for a while until they get dry
- Enjoy the Karinto sticks!
