Kushikatsu - Delicious Skewered Meat from Japan

Kushikatsu (串カツ?), also known as kushiage (串揚げ?), is a Japanese dish consisting of meat and vegetables fried on a skewer. In Japanese, kushi (串?) refers to the skewers used while katsu refers to a cutlet or fried skewer meat.

Many confuse Kushikatsu with tempura, however, the only difference is the dough. The tempura dough uses a base formed by water, flour and egg, while in kushikatsu breadcrumbs are added.

Some say the kushikatsu dish may have appeared in Shinsekai in Osaka. Since there you can find several restaurants of the genre.

Ingredients of kushiage

Kushikatsu can be made with chicken, pork, seafood and also with seasonal vegetables, remembering that there is no need to have any restrictions, as the dish can be adapted. The meat is skewered on kushi, which is dipped in egg, flour and panko flour, then fried in vegetable oil.

Kushikatsu can be served plain or with the sauce used in tonkatsu.

How to eat kushikatsu?

The way of eating is unique in restaurants and bars, where the most common is to dip the kushikatsu in a sauce that was available on the table for consumption.

Kushikatsu2

The sauce is divided among the customers in a container, so it is disrespectful to dip the kushikatsu in the sauce after biting into it. This is considered disrespectful and is often considered repugnant.

To avoid cases like this, it is common to find instructions on the menu in English for foreigners with the proper information on what not to do. There, it's a matter of ethics and customs, so it's always good to respect the environment we frequent!

Instead of placing the skewer directly into the sauce, you will often find ways to grab the sauce, such as brushes and even spoons, so that you can pour the sauce over the kushikatsu onto its rightful plate!

Restaurants in Osaka

Osaka is the city of Kushikatsu, below we will recommend 3 great restaurants where you can taste the infinite types of Kushikatsu or kushiage.

Kushikatsu Daruma (串カツだるま)

A long-standing restaurant in an Osaka tourist spot, Shinsekai. In total, there are 12 Kushikatsu Daruma in Osaka, and they are all quite small and have a capacity for only a few people. Being similar to a bar here in Japan, however, in a way more pleasant and hygienic. They offer around 40 different types of kushikatsu.

Osakadaruma

Yakko ( )

This is also another popular restaurant in Shinsekai. The place is also quite cramped.

This restaurant prides itself on having a unique flavor and the reputation of being fresh in the preparation of the ingredients. This is because Kushikatsu is dipped in a thin batter, which is lightly fried until crispy. The kushikatsu offered at the restaurant is very rare, as it uses suet or meat fat.

Yaekatsu )

This one is quite famous in Shinsekai. The restaurant itself is large and can fit a lot of customers, although because of its popularity, it may mean that you may have to wait in line to eat there.

The dough over the kushikatsu in Yaekatsu is soft and has a light flavor. The secret to tenderness apparently comes from the yam added to the dough.

Things in common in these restaurants are the size of the place, not being allowed to use the sauce after having bitten the kushikatsu and not being able to use credit cards. When visiting Osaka, be sure to check out these places and try the famous kushiage.

Read more articles from our website

Thanks for reading! But we would be happy if you take a look at other articles below:

Read our most popular articles:

Do you know this anime?