Shrimp and vegetable tempura

Method

1. 01

   Cut the listed ingredients

   Peel and devein two large shrimp but leave the tails on; make shallow cuts along the underside so they stay straight. Cut the purple-skinned sweet potato into 5 mm slices, the green pepper into 4 cm pieces, and the zucchini into 1 cm rounds. Pat everything dry.

   

2. 02

   Make the tentsuyu

   Combine 200 ml dashi, 45 ml soy sauce, and 60 ml mirin in a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil, turn off the heat, and keep it covered and separate from the raw shrimp station until serving.

   

3. 03

   Prepare the grated garnish

   Grate 100 g daikon and 15 g ginger for serving. Press only enough liquid from the daikon to keep it spoonable, and place both in clean dishes. Wash the grater before it touches any cooked food.

   

4. 04

   Mix the cold batter

   Whisk one 50 g egg with 200 ml ice-cold water. Reserve 20 g of the flour for dusting; separately combine the remaining 100 g flour with 20 g potato starch and 4 g baking powder, add it to the liquid, and stir with chopsticks for only 15–20 seconds, leaving small lumps and keeping the batter cold.

   

5. 05

   Heat oil to 170°C

   Heat 1.5 L neutral oil in a deep pot to 170°C. Test with a drop of batter: it should sink briefly and rise. Keep a clean spider and wire rack ready, and keep raw seafood tools away from cooked tempura.

   

6. 06

   Dust and dip

   Use the reserved 20 g flour to dust the dry shrimp and vegetables lightly, shaking off excess. Dip each piece in the cold batter immediately before frying; keep the shrimp and vegetables on separate clean trays until they enter the oil.

   

7. 07

   Fry and drain in batches

   Fry only a few pieces at a time at 170°C: the two shrimp for 2–3 minutes and the vegetables for 1–2 minutes, turning once. The shrimp flesh must be opaque and firm with the thickest centre at least 63°C; the vegetables should be pale golden and tender. Lift each batch to the wire rack immediately; keep the oil at 165–175°C and never overcrowd the pot.

   

8. 08

   Serve with tentsuyu

   Arrange the drained shrimp and vegetables on a clean plate. Serve the warm tentsuyu with 100 g grated daikon and 15 g grated ginger on the side; use clean serving chopsticks and keep the crisp batter uncovered.