Japanese · Free
Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
Shrimp and crisp vegetables cloaked in a light, lacy batter and fried until shatteringly crisp and barely golden. The secret is an ice-cold, barely-mixed batter that fries up airy rather than heavy, served with a warm dipping sauce.
****+
Prep 30 min · Cook 20 min
Method
Prep the shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on for easy handling. Make 3 or 4 shallow cuts across the belly of each shrimp and gently press to straighten it, which stops the shrimp from curling as it fries.
Prep the vegetables: Slice the sweet potato, eggplant, green beans, and onion as listed and pat everything thoroughly dry with paper towels. Dry surfaces are essential, because water makes hot oil splatter dangerously.
Make the dipping sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin and bring to a brief simmer, then remove from the heat. Pour it into small bowls and set the grated daikon alongside for guests to stir in.
Heat the oil: Pour the oil into a deep heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches and heat it to 340 degrees F for the vegetables. Use a thermometer, since holding a steady temperature is the difference between crisp and greasy tempura.
Chill your batter tools: Keep the egg and water in the refrigerator until the moment you need them, and set the flour nearby. Cold ingredients and minimal mixing are the two secrets to feather-light tempura.
Dust the ingredients: Lightly dust the shrimp and vegetables with a little plain flour, shaking off the excess. This thin coating helps the batter cling to the slippery surfaces.
Make the batter: In a bowl, beat the cold egg into the ice water, then dump in the 1 cup of flour all at once. Stir just a few strokes with chopsticks until barely combined and still lumpy; overmixing develops gluten and ruins the crispness.
Fry the vegetables first: Dip a few vegetable pieces into the batter, let the excess drip off, and lower them gently into the 340 degree oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until pale gold and crisp, then lift them onto a wire rack to drain.
Raise the heat for shrimp: Increase the oil temperature to 350 degrees F. Shrimp cook best in slightly hotter oil so the batter sets quickly around them.
Fry the shrimp: Holding each shrimp by the tail, dip it into the batter and lower it into the oil, frying 2 or 3 at a time for about 2 minutes until the batter is crisp and pale gold. The shrimp are done when opaque and firm, reaching an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
Drain thoroughly: Transfer each finished piece to a wire rack set over paper towels rather than directly onto paper, which keeps the coating from going soggy. Skim any loose batter bits from the oil between batches so they do not burn.
Serve immediately: Arrange the tempura on a platter lined with paper and serve at once with the warm dipping sauce and grated daikon. Tempura is at its best within minutes of frying, while the batter is still crackling crisp.
Chef's tips
- Use ice-cold water and barely stir the batter -- lumps are good, because a smooth, overworked batter turns dense and doughy when fried.
- Fry in small batches to keep the oil temperature from dropping; if it falls too low, the tempura absorbs oil and turns greasy instead of crisp.
- Have a wire rack and everything prepped before you start frying, since tempura moves fast and must be eaten quickly for the best texture.
Cooking times vary by equipment -- cook to temperature and to taste.
