Tempura (Japanese Battered Shrimp and Vegetables)
Local name: 天ぷら
In short: Shrimp and vegetables in a thin, ice-cold batter, fried until pale gold and crisp, served with a warm soy dipping sauce and grated daikon. It takes about 50 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 420 kcal
A pale, lacy crust that crackles at the first bite is the mark of good tempura: seafood and vegetables dipped in a thin batter and fried briefly. It is served at counters, in set meals and on top of rice or noodles. The batter is the part to respect: very cold, barely mixed and lumpy, which keeps the gluten calm and the crust delicate. Eat it within minutes of frying, with a light soy dipping sauce and grated daikon.
Instructions
- Make the sauce: bring the dashi, soy sauce and mirin to a boil, cook for 1 minute and keep warm. Lightly squeeze the grated daikon and mix it with the ginger in a small dish.
- Straighten the shrimp by making 3 shallow cuts across the belly, then pressing the back gently until the flesh relaxes. Pat the shrimp and all the vegetables completely dry.
- Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F) in a deep pot. Set a wire rack nearby, and keep a small sieve ready to skim loose bits of batter.
- Just before frying, whisk the egg into the ice water, add the flour and cornstarch and stir with chopsticks about 10 strokes. Leave it lumpy. Set the bowl over a larger bowl of ice.
- Dust each piece lightly with flour, dip in batter, let the extra drip off and lower it into the oil. Fry the sweet potato and squash 4 to 5 minutes, the beans 2 minutes and the shiso 30 seconds, until pale gold and crisp.
- Raise the heat to 180°C (355°F) and fry the shrimp for about 2 minutes, turning once, until the batter is pale gold and the shrimp are pink and opaque. Skim stray crumbs between batches.
- Drain everything on a rack, never on a flat plate, so steam does not soften the coating. Serve at once with the warm sauce and the daikon mixture to stir in.
Tips
- Keep everything cold: cold flour, a fridge-cold egg and ice water. A cold batter develops less gluten, which is why the coating turns out crisp and lacy rather than bready.
- Other good choices are lotus root, eggplant, mushrooms, onion and white fish fillets. Fry slow-cooking vegetables first and delicate seafood last.
Questions and answers
Why is my tempura greasy or heavy?
Usually the batter was overmixed, the oil was too cool or too many pieces went in at once. Keep the oil at 170 to 180°C (340 to 355°F), fry in small batches and mix the batter only until just combined.
Can I make tempura ahead?
It is best eaten within minutes. If you must wait, hold fried pieces on a rack in a 120°C (250°F) oven for up to 15 minutes, or re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
What do you serve with tempura?
Rice and miso soup for a set meal, or soba or udon noodles. A pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon is a common alternative to the dipping sauce.
How long does it take to make Tempura (Japanese Battered Shrimp and Vegetables)?
About 50 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Tempura (Japanese Battered Shrimp and Vegetables)?
About 420 kcal per serving, with 20 g of protein, 44 g of carbohydrates and 18 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 420 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 44 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Sodium | 780 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
