Tempura Items Recipe

Name: Sakai Japanese Bistros Tempura Items Recipe
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 cups all-purpose flour; 0.5 cups cornstarch; 0.5 tsp baking powder; 1 cups ice water; 0.25 cups cold club soda (optional, replaces part of ice water); 1 unit egg (large); 3 unit ice cubes; 0.25 tsp salt; 2 unit large shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail-on); 0.25 unit sweet potato; 1 unit green bell pepper or shishito pepper; 4 unit shiitake mushrooms; 0.25 unit zucchini; 4 cups neutral oil for frying (vegetable, canola, or peanut); 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (for dusting items); 0.25 cups soy sauce (for dipping); 1 tbsp mirin (for dipping sauce); 0.25 cups dashi stock or water (for dipping sauce); 2 tsp grated daikon (optional, for dipping sauce); 1 unit lemon wedges (optional)

Inspired by Sakai Japanese Bistro

Time40m

Serves1

2 shrimp and some veggies

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Ingredients

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Tempura batter & batter station

1 cups 00 bread flour

1/2 cups Cornstarch

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 cups ice water

1/4 cups cold club soda (optional, replaces part of ice water)

1 unit egg (large)

3 unit ice cubes

1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt

Tempura items (seafood & vegetables)

2 unit large shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail-on)

1/4 unit Sweet potato

1 unit green bell pepper or shishito pepper

4 unit shiitake mushrooms

1/4 unit zucchini

4 cups neutral oil for frying (vegetable, canola, or peanut)

Prep & finishing

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (for dusting items)

1/4 cups soy sauce (for dipping)

1 tbsp mirin (for dipping sauce)

1/4 cups dashi stock or water (for dipping sauce)

2 tsp grated daikon (optional, for dipping sauce)

1 unit lemon wedges (optional)

Method

Tempura batter & batter station

Prepare cold ingredients

Place a small bowl with ice water and a few ice cubes next to your mixing area. Chill the mixing bowl in the fridge briefly if possible so the batter stays cold. Crack the egg into a small bowl and lightly beat once to combine the white and yolk.

In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt until uniform.

Combine 1 cup ice water (and 1/4 cup cold club soda if using) with the lightly beaten egg. Add a few ice cubes to keep it very cold (remove before battering if desired).

Just before frying, pour the cold liquid into the dry ingredients and stir gently with chopsticks or a fork 6–8 times. Do not overmix — a slightly lumpy batter is desirable. Keep bowl over the ice to stay cold. The batter should be thin, like heavy cream; adjust with a tablespoon of cold water if too thick.

Tempura items (seafood & vegetables)

Prepare the shrimp: if not already done, peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tail on. Make three shallow lengthwise slits on the underside of each shrimp and gently press to straighten so they stay flat when frying. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Vegetable prep: slice the sweet potato into 1/8–1/4-inch (3–6 mm) rounds or thin half-moons. Slice zucchini into 1/8–1/4-inch rounds. Remove stems from shiitake and slice thickly if large (or leave small whole). For bell pepper or shishito, remove seeds and cut into 1–2 inch strips. Pat all vegetables dry.

Lightly dust each shrimp and vegetable piece with 2 tablespoons of flour (keeps batter from sliding off). Shake off excess flour.

Heat 3–4 cups neutral oil in a medium saucepan or deep skillet to 350–375°F (175–190°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, test by dropping a small drop of batter: it should sizzle and rise immediately, forming a puff around it.

Working in small batches (do not overcrowd), dip shrimp and vegetables into the cold batter to coat evenly, letting excess drip off for 1–2 seconds.

Carefully lower battered items into the hot oil. Fry vegetables 60–90 seconds for thin pieces (sweet potato may take 2–3 minutes depending on thickness) until pale golden and crisp. Shrimp will fry in about 90 seconds to 2 minutes until golden and cooked through. Turn items as needed for even color.

Remove tempura to a paper towel-lined rack or wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Keep warm in a single layer in a low oven (200°F / 95°C) if frying additional batches. Serve immediately for best crispness.

Prep & finishing

Make quick dipping sauce (tentsuyu): combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin and 1/4 cup warm dashi or water in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Add grated daikon (about 2 tsp) on the side or into the sauce as desired.

Plate tempura with lemon wedge if using. Serve hot with dipping sauce. Reheat briefly in a hot oven (400°F / 200°C) for 3–4 minutes to re-crisp if necessary; avoid microwaving which makes tempura soggy.