Although the weather is not the best, June is a great time for produce. Springtime vegetables such as shin-tamanegi (new-harvest onions), bamboo shoots and spring cabbage are still in season, while early summer vegetables like asparagus are starting to come into their own, too.

Deep frying fresh vegetables like these is not as popular when they're in season, but it’s still one of the easiest ways to bring out the sweetness and crunch of veggies. And kakiage (tempura fritters) are a tried-and-true way in Japan to prepare in-season vegetables easily and economically.

In this recipe, I have given instructions for cooking kakiage with an air fryer (called a "nonfuraiyā” in Japanese) as well as in the conventional way by deep frying it in oil. Kakiage works on a top of a bed of greens, but you can certainly serve them on their own. These fritters are also an ideal accompaniment to cold noodles such as sōmen, soba or udon. Adding chicken turns this into a main dish, and throwing in parboiled bamboo shoots provides a particularly crunchy and nutritional twist.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus marinating time

Cook time: 30 minutes

For the fritters:

• 300 grams chicken breast strips

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons cooking sake

• 300 grams bamboo shoots (parboiled)

• ½ shin-tamanegi

• 1 small carrot

• ½ bundle mitsuba (Japanese parsley) leaves

For the batter:

• 7 tablespoons flour

• 6 tablespoons ice-cold water

• Vegetable oil for frying

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons mentsuyu sauce

• 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• ½ teaspoon shichimi tōgarashi chili pepper mix

• Salad greens of your choice

1. Cut the chicken into thin strips about ½-centimeter wide. Combine the two tablespoons of soy sauce and cooking sake, then marinate the chicken in this mixture for 30 minutes.

2. Cut the bamboo shoots into thin strips about ½-centimeter wide, then slice the onion into thin wedges. Peel and cut the carrot into matchsticks about ¼-centimeter wide, roughly chop the mitsuba leaves, and wash and dry the salad greens.

3. Combine your flour and water for the batter with 1 tablespoon of the chicken marinade. Mix until just combined — be careful not to overmix, which will make the batter heavy instead of crispy.

4. Add the chicken and vegetables to the batter and mix well to distribute evenly.

5. Combine the dressing ingredients into a small jar and shake well.

6. If frying conventionally: Heat up 3 centimeters of frying oil in a deep pan or wok to 170 degrees Celsius. With a ladle, carefully slide approximately ½-cup scoops of the chicken-vegetable mix into the hot oil. To not overcrowd the pan, fry two fritters at a time — you should have a total of about 8 when you’re done. Fry for about five minutes or until the batter has hardened, flip them over and fry for another two to three minutes, then drain well.

If using an air fryer: Line the basket with parchment paper, then arrange scoops of the chicken-vegetable mix on the paper and spray with oil. Cook at 200 C for five minutes, then flip, spray with more oil and cook for another three minutes. Repeat with the rest of the chicken-vegetable mix.

7. Arrange the salad greens on a plate and place the fritters on top. Serve the dressing on the side, or pour over just before eating.