Tempura Shrimp

Preparing the Shrimp

Choose jumbo shrimp or prawns. Prawns are similar to shrimp, but usually larger.

1. Shell and de-vein them.
2. Dry them well so that the batter will stick to them better.
3. Place them on a platter and sprinkle them with salt.

Tempura Batter Recipe

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup icy cold water
• 1 tablespoon of sake, Japanese rice wine

Instructions

1. Make the batter right before you plan to fry the shrimp.
2. Beat the egg and add the cold water, beating until the mixture is light.
3. Add the sake.
4. Mix the flour and the corn flour together.
5. Sift the flours into the egg mixture.
6. Stir it all together but do not over mix. A few lumps in the batter are fine. You do not want a sticky batter because it will create heavy and soggy tempura.

How to Cook Tempura Shrimp

Chopsticks are handy utensils in the kitchen.

1. In a large heavy pan (the Japanese use a Chinese pot called a chuka-nabe, which is larger at the surface than at the bottom making it ideal for cooking tempura) heat the oil to 355 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a thermometer is best, but if one is not available, you may check the temperature by dropping a little of the batter into the oil. If it submerges and then rises to the surface where it browns in about forty-five seconds, the temperature is right.
2. With a long pair of wooden chopsticks, dip each piece of shrimp into the batter to coat it.
3. Add the shrimp to the oil and let it cook until a light golden brown.
4. You may fry three or four shrimp at the same time, depending on how large your pan is. You do not want to overcrowd the pan.
5. Lift each brown piece of shrimp out of the pan with the chopsticks.
6. Place them on a paper towel to absorb the grease.

Vegetables to Use

Although tendon, a popular dish in Japan, is simply a fried piece of shrimp or fried prawn served over a bowl of hot steamed rice, seldom is tempura shrimp eaten without vegetables to accompany it.

Vegetables are washed, dried, and cut into strips about three inches long and 1/4-inches in width. Then they are coated with the batter and deep-fried in vegetable oil. The vegetables used include:

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• White onions
• Kabocha or squash
• Renkon or lotus root
• Shitake mushrooms
• Bamboo shoots
• Eggplants
• Chrysanthemum leaves
• Green peppers

While many Japanese restaurants in the USA serve broccoli or asparagus tempura-style, these vegetables are never prepared this way in Japan.

Recipe for Tentsuyu Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup of dashi (fish) stock
• 1/3 cup of mirin (sweet cooking wine)
• 1/3 cup of shoyu (light soy sauce)

Instructions

1. Whisk the ingredients together over medium heat.
2. Heat to boiling.

This sauce will be served warm in individual bowls with grated ginger root and daikon, which is a white Asian radish. Simply dip the shrimp into the sauce with a pair of chopsticks and enjoy.

Purchasing the Right Ingredients

If some of the ingredients used in any of these recipes sound foreign to you, you may have to search the Asian section of your grocery store to find them. If you live near an Asian market, make a trip there to purchase some of the uncommon items. Look in the Japanese section to find dashi. If you would like to substitute the flours for packaged tempura batter, look for a boxed mix. Follow the directions on the label to prepare the batter.

Making Tempura Shrimp in Your Kitchen

If you decide to make tempura in your own kitchen, be sure to know what you are getting into. Keep in mind that cooking tempura is a greasy endeavor. As you fry the tempura, grease often splatters, so be careful, especially if children are nearby.

Since tempura is always served hot, you need to have your family or guests seated at the table as you cook. In restaurants where the chef prepares tempura in front of the customers, he places the freshly cooked food on their plates hot out of the oil.

Serve the tempura with hot, steamed white rice.