Japanese tempura — crispy shrimp and vegetables in a light batter

Ingredients

• 12 large shrimp (cleaned, tail-on)
• 1 zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 small eggplant, sliced
• 2 green peppers, halved
• 125 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 egg, very cold
• 240 ml very cold water (with ice cubes)
• Sunflower oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste

For the dipping sauce (tentsuyu): 120 ml dashi stock (or water), 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin (or 1 teaspoon sugar), a little grated ginger (to taste).

Preparation

1. Clean the shrimp: remove the shell leaving the tail, remove the black vein along the back and make 3–4 light cuts on the belly side so they don’t curl while frying. Pat dry well with kitchen paper.
2. Prepare the vegetables: wash, dry and slice; dust lightly with flour so the batter sticks.
3. Prepare the sauce: warm the dashi with the soy sauce and mirin for 2–3 minutes without boiling; keep warm.
4. Make the batter: mix the flour with the cornstarch, add the cold egg and the iced water; mix QUICKLY with chopsticks leaving lumps — the batter should be thin and cold. Do not overmix.
5. Heat the oil to 170–180°C in a deep pot.
6. Dip the shrimp and vegetables in the batter and fry in small batches, 2–3 minutes, until lightly golden; lift out with a skimmer and drain on kitchen paper.
7. Serve immediately, hot, with the tentsuyu sauce and a little grated ginger on top.

Time: Preparation 20 minutes • Cooking 15 minutes | Servings: 4 people.

Tip: The secret of crispy tempura is very cold batter and very hot oil — don’t prepare the batter ahead, but at the moment of frying.