noun
thick starchy sauce; ankake sauce
A thick, glossy sauce made from kudzu or katakuriko starch, poured over food. Common in Japanese and Chinese-style dishes.
See also: 餡
あんかけ焼きそばが食べたい。
I want to eat ankake yakisoba.
この料理にはとろみのあるあんかけがかかっている。
This dish is covered in a thick, glossy ankake sauce.
餡 (あん) can refer to sweet bean paste or a starchy sauce; あんかけ specifically refers to the thick sauce poured over food.
From 餡 (あん, 'thick sauce') + 掛け (かけ, 'pouring'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally associated with the thick, starchy sauce used in Japanese cuisine.