What Goes With Shrimp Tempura Recipes

TEMPURA

Steps:

• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Follow these instructions to straighten the shrimp, so it looks gorgeous. Pat the shrimp dry and make sure the moisture is completely removed from the shrimp.
• Cut all the vegetables (except the eggplant) ¼-inch thick. For the eggplant, cut off and discard the stem and calyx, then cut it in half lengthwise. With the cut side flat on the cutting board, cut the eggplant lengthwise into very thin slices (about ⅛ inch or 3 mm), being careful to leave the bottom tip intact by 1 inch (2.5 cm) so the slices stay connected. Then, gently press down on the slices to fan them out. Repeat with the other eggplant half.
• In a medium-sized pot, heat 1½ inches to 2 inches (3-5 cm) of the oil to 350°F (180°C).
• While the oil is heating up, start preparing the tempura batter. Add the egg and the iced water into a 2-cup measuring cup (or any bowl). Whisk the egg mixture vigorously and discard the foam on the surface.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Mix the batter, but do not overmix; it's okay to leave some lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold at all times (store it in the refrigerator if needed). Make the batter right before deep-frying to avoid activating the wheat gluten.
• Check the oil temperature with a thermometer to make sure the oil is 350°F (180°C). You can also use wooden chopsticks to check; when you dip your chopsticks in the oil and see small bubbles forming, it's ready for deep-frying. Please note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature (320ºF/160℃). If you want to read more deep-frying tips, please read this post.
• Deep-fry starting with the cleaner and less astringent ingredients. For example, the cooking order would be shiso first, followed by the mushrooms, eggplant, shrimp, sweet potatoes, and kabocha. Make sure your ingredients are dry before dipping them in the batter; if they're wet, dry them with a paper towel first. While the tempura is frying, the moisture from the ingredients will evaporate and the tempura will become crispy. However, if the ingredients have extra moisture, the tempura will become soggy after deep-frying.
• When the oil reaches the right temperature, dip one piece of vegetable or shrimp in the batter, let the excess drip off for a second or two, and very gently place it into the hot oil. Continue dipping and adding one piece at a time. For the shrimp, sprinkle some flour or potato starch (or cornstarch) over it before dipping to help the tempura batter adhere. For the shiso leaves, sprinkle a bit of sifted flour on the back of the leaf, dip only the back of the leaf into the batter, and deep-fry for 15 seconds. The flour acts as a glue and the batter tends to stay on the ingredients better.
• Deep-fry the ingredients until golden brown. Do not crowd the pot because the oil temperature will drop quickly. Remember, your ingredients should take up no more than about half of the oil surface area at any one time. Here's the rough cooking time for each of the ingredients: Shiso (350ºF/180ºC, 20-30 seconds), mushrooms (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), eggplant (350ºF/180ºC, 1 min), shrimp (350ºF/180ºC, 2 minutes), sweet potatoes (320ºF/160℃, 3 mins), and kabocha (320ºF/160℃, 2-3 mins). Note that sweet potatoes and kabocha require a lower cooking temperature than the rest of the tempura ingredients.
• Transfer the tempura to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
• Between batches, clean the oil by scooping up the crumbs (called tenkasu), which will burn and turn the oil darker if left in the pot.
• Grate the daikon and squeeze the liquid out. Prepare 3-4 Tbsp of warm tentsuyu in individual small bowls and serve the grated daikon on the side.
• Put 1 Tbsp of the grated daikon in the sauce and dip the tempura in the sauce to enjoy.
• You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks. Reheat the tempura at 350ºF (180ºC) in the oven until warm and crisp.

CRISPY SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression in the center of the flour. Stir in the water and egg yolk. Mix just until moistened; batter will be lumpy. Stir in egg whites.
• One at a time, dip shrimp into the batter to coat. Do not batter tails. Carefully place a few shrimp at a time into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix rice wine and salt. Place shrimp into the mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in deep-fryer or large wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, ice water, cornstarch, egg yolk, salt, white sugar, shortening and baking powder.
• One at a time, dip shrimp into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully place a few shrimp at a time in the hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from oil. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

TEMPURA SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make dipping sauce
• In small saucepan over moderate heat, stir together all ingredients. Bring to simmer, then remove from heat and keep warm. (DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated in covered container up to 2 days, and rewarmed over moderate heat before serving.)
• Make tempura
• Bring medium pot water to boil over high heat. Have large bowl ice water ready. Add green beans to boiling water and blanch just until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, immediately transfer to ice water to stop cooking, then drain well and dry on paper towels.
• Make several shallow cuts across inside curve of each shrimp and gently press shrimp flat on cutting board (to help prevent curling during cooking). Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.
• In large saucepan over moderate heat, heat 4 inches of oil until thermometer registers 325°F.
• In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sesame oil. Gradually and gently whisk in 2 1/2 cups ice water, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy.)
• Working in batches, using tongs or chopsticks dip shrimp and vegetables into batter and fry, turning occasionally, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes for green beans, 2 minutes for shrimp and other vegetables. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 325°F between batches and, using spider or slotted spoon, remove any residual bits of batter from oil before adding next batch.
• To fry shiso leaves, gently lay each leaf on top of batter to coat 1 side, then drop, batter-side-down, into oil and fry without turning until underside is golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Serve tempura immediately with dipping sauce.

TASTY SHRIMP TEMPURA AND SAKE DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix shallots, soy sauce, sake, hot pepper sauce, cilantro, and ginger together in a bowl; let sit, about 2 hours.
• Mix 1 cup rice flour, seltzer water, and egg yolk together in a bowl.
• Split shrimp down the center, cutting almost but not completely through, and open flat. Pat with paper towel to dry; dust with 1/2 cup rice flour. Dip shrimp in batter until thoroughly covered.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cook shrimp in small batches in oil until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove shrimp from oil and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serves dipping sauce alongside the shrimp.

CHEF JOHN'S SHRIMP TEMPURA

Steps:

• Dry peeled and deveined shrimp on paper towels. Flip each shrimp over and make shallow cuts through to make sure they won't curl up when frying. Refrigerate until needed.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine self-rising flour, potato starch, salt, and cayenne in a bowl with a whisk. Add cold water and whisk until flour disappears and a crepe-like batter is achieved. Coat shrimp in batter.
• Fry shrimp in small batches, no more than 6 at a time, making sure they don't stick together, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Stir together dashi broth, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar for sauce. Grate daikon radish over. Taste and adjust as needed. Serve shrimp with dipping sauce.