Steps

1. In a small pot, combine 60ml water and 2 tsp Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine) and heat over medium heat.
   🕒 01:45
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol.
   🕒 01:58
3. Remove from heat, add 2 tsp Soy Sauce and 1/2 tsp Shiro Dashi (White Soy Sauce Base), and mix. Let the dipping sauce cool down.
   🕒 02:08
4. Cut the chikuwa in half lengthwise. These will be cut into sticks for this recipe, but feel free to cut them into your preferred shape.
   🕒 02:27
5. In a bowl, add 1/2 tbsp Mayonnaise and gradually add 1 tbsp Cooking Sake (Rice Wine), mixing well to combine. Mayonnaise can become lumpy, so gradually loosen it with cooking sake.
   🕒 02:43
6. Add 2 tbsp cold water. Using cold water will help create a crispier batter.
   🕒 03:12
7. Add 1 tbsp Potato Starch, 3 tbsp All-purpose Flour, and 1 tsp Aonori (Dried Green Seaweed). Mix lightly until there are still a few lumps of flour remaining.
   🕒 03:20
8. Add 1 ice cube (not included in ingredients) and stir for about 30 seconds to chill the batter. If time permits, chilling the batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes is ideal, but if you're short on time, chilling with ice will also result in a crispy finish.
   🕒 03:39
9. Add the cut chikuwa to the batter and coat them well. Leave the ice cube in the batter.
   🕒 03:59
10. Pour about 5mm of Frying Oil (to taste) into the bottom of a frying pan and heat over medium heat for about 1 minute.
    🕒 04:09
11. Carefully place the coated chikuwa into the hot oil, cut side down. Frying the surface first can cause the chikuwa to curl, so be sure to start by frying the cut side.
    🕒 04:37
12. Once the coating has set, flip and fry the other side until golden and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
    🕒 05:01
13. Once the coating is firm, gently turn the chikuwa to ensure even crisping all around.
    🕒 05:16
14. Remove the fried chikuwa from the oil and drain for about 3 minutes.
    🕒 05:21
15. Your Crispy Chikuwa Isobe Age is complete! Serve with the dipping sauce as desired.
    🕒 05:48