Nori no Tempura (Noriten) Deep-Fried Seaweed Snack

As you know, Tempura is a traditional Japanese food made from one piece of ingredient coated with flour batter and deep-fried in plenty of oil.

But have you ever heard that Tempura also comes in the form of snacks?

Tempura Snacks

Actually, “Ikaten (いか天)” and “Noriten (のり天)” are 2 representatives of such Tempura snacks. These are good-old treats that have long been loved in Japan.

As I wrote in this article before, the former Ikaten is a Tempura snack made from dried squid called “Surume (スルメ)“.

Noriten (Nori no Tempura)

On the other hand, “Noriten (のり天)”, which is short for “Nori no Tempura (海苔の天ぷら)”, is a Tempura snack whose main ingredient is “Nori (海苔)”.

In its name, Nori is the seaweed laver, while Ten stands for Tempura. By the way, “Ika (いか)” means squid or cuttlefish in Japanese.

Ingredients and Features

In the production process, the seaweed laver is coated with a batter made from eggs and wheat flour, deep-fried in plenty of oil, and then lightly salted. 

Noriten is deep-fried in sesame oil, so these Tempura fries are pleasantly crispy and nicely savory with an appetizing aroma of sesame to them.

As for the variety, some Noriten crisps are only lightly salted, while others are additionally spiced with ground red chili pepper and are a little bit spicy.

Where to Buy

Noriten or Nori no Tempura is an inexpensive, casual snack that goes perfectly with beer, so these seaweed Tempura chips are available in many supermarkets and convenience stores around the country.