Tempura (Shrimp and Vegetable)

Method

1. Make the dipping sauce (tentsuyu) first. Put the dashi, soy sauce and mirin in a 14 cm small pot, bring to the boil on medium heat, let it bubble for 1 min to cook off the alcohol, then turn off the heat and keep it warm.

   Add in this stepDashi (bonito and kombu stock) 120 mlSoy sauce 2 tbspMirin 2 tbsp

   medium heat

2. Cut the sweet potato, skin on, into 7 mm rounds and soak them in cold water for 5 minutes. Halve the eggplant lengthwise and slice it on the diagonal 1 cm thick; remove the shiitake stems and cut a shallow cross in each cap. Pat everything completely dry with kitchen paper, because water makes hot oil spit.

   Add in this stepSweet potato 120 gEggplant (aubergine) 120 gFresh shiitake mushrooms 4

3. Peel the shrimp, leaving the last tail segment on, and pull out the vein with a toothpick. Make 3 or 4 shallow cuts across the underside and press the shrimp flat with your fingers until you feel a small snap; this stops them curling in the oil. Trim the tip of the tail on the diagonal, scrape out the water inside with the back of a knife and pat dry.

   Add in this stepShrimp, shell on (medium) 8

4. Pour at least 4 cm of oil into a 20 cm deep pot and heat on medium heat for 10 min to 170 °C. No thermometer? Drop in a little batter: at 170 °C it sinks halfway, then rises straight back up. Turn the handle inwards and never leave hot oil unattended.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil for frying 1 L

   medium heat

5. While the oil heats, dust the ingredients lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Mix the beaten egg and ice water in a bowl, add the flour all at once and stir with chopsticks just 10 to 15 times. A few lumps of dry flour are exactly right; stirring more develops gluten and gives a heavy, soggy coat. Make the batter just before frying.

   Add in this stepFlour for dusting 2 tbspBeaten egg 2 tbspIce-cold water 110 mlCake flour or plain flour 60 g

6. Fry the vegetables first. Dip each piece in the batter, let the excess run off and slide it in, away from you. Keeping the oil at 170 °C on medium heat, fry the sweet potato for 3 min and the eggplant and shiitake for about half that, until crisp. Fry this amount in 2 batch(es), never covering more than half the surface of the oil, and skim off stray bits of batter between batches.

   medium heat

7. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat to reach 180 °C. Hold each shrimp by the tail, dip it in the batter and lower it in. Fry for 1 min 30 sec, until the batter is pale gold, the bubbles get smaller and the sizzle sounds higher; the shrimp flesh should be white and opaque. Fry in 1 batch(es) and stand the tempura upright on a wire rack to drain.

   medium-high heat

8. Grate the daikon, squeeze it lightly and serve with the grated ginger. Stir them into the warm tentsuyu for dipping, or simply dip the tempura in a little salt. Tempura is at its crispest the moment it leaves the oil.

   Add in this stepDaikon radish 80 gGrated ginger 1 tspSalt to taste