Tempura Recipe

Print Recipe

Without further ado, let’s get straight to this tempura recipe. It’s a tasty, light, crisp staple of Japanese cuisine.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Tempura, Tempura Recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 162kcal

Author: Luna Regina

Ingredients

Tempura

9.5 oz raw shrimp (should yield 4 oz shelled)
2 oz taro sliced
2 oz zucchini cut into fans
2 oz lotus root sliced
4 shiso leaves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 cups ice water in a large bowl
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups canola oil (*)

Tentsuyu Sauce (*)

2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking mirin
2 tbsp water
1.5 tsp sugar
2 tsp oyster sauce

Instructions

Heat the oil: heat a pot of oil over medium-low heat. We want to fry tempura low and slow.
Make the batter: in a bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and ice-cold water. Place the batter bowl into an ice bath to keep it cold during the frying process.
Fry: gather the shrimp and veggies in a large bowl next to the ice bath. Dip a pair of chopsticks into the batter and drip 1-2 drops into the oil. If it floats right back, it’s ready for frying; if it does not, be patient and wait. Dip the veggie pieces into the batter and gently slip them into the oil. Fry 3-4 pieces at a time.
Make flakes: dip the tip of your fingers in the batter, aim at the veggie pieces and flick the batter to create beautiful flakes. If you don’t want to dirty your hands, gently drop 6-7 drops of batter into the oil using a spoon or a pair of chopsticks. Take it out when it’s golden, and repeat until everything’s deep-fried.
Make the sauce: in a saucepan, simmer soy sauce, mirin, water, sugar, and oyster sauce over medium heat for 3 minutes. You can stop when it reaches your desired consistency.
Serve: in a basket with a bowl of dipping sauce next to it or over a big bowl of hot rice, with the sauce drizzled on top.

Notes

(*) Only part of these ingredients will end up in the final product and we have calculated nutritional values based on that amount. The whole amount is needed for making the sauce and frying, but what actually ends up being consumed is half the amount of sauce, very little oil (less than 1/4 tsp per serving), and 75% of the batter.

Nutrition