Kakiage fritters are typically formed into disks.
Kakiage is a type of tempura made by combining small pieces of seafood, vegetables, or both, coating them in batter, and frying the mixture as a single fritter. The pieces are gathered into a loose mound and gently placed in hot oil, where they set into a round, relatively flat disk.
Common ingredients include shredded onion, carrot, burdock, mitsuba, shrimp, and small scallops. The name is often connected with the idea of mixing or raking ingredients together, reflecting how the loose pieces are kept from separating during frying.
Kakiage is sometimes described as a tempura pancake, but it is not a cake-like batter mass. Its texture comes from many distinct pieces joined by a light coating. It may be served with tentsuyu dipping sauce and grated daikon, over rice as kakiage don, or on soba and udon.