Party, Topping & Side Dish

Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura

Tempura is one of the most simple yet beautiful dishes and is so well recognized overseas that it is often referred to as “tempura” when talking about Japanese food. 

Not only is it delicious as a side dish, but the crispy batter goes well with ramen soup, making it a great topping! 

No dipping sauce is needed when cooking it as a ramen topping.

Instructions

Shrimp & Vegetables 

1) Peel and devein each shrimp. Keep the tail on. 

2) Cut the underside of the shrimp halfway through (at the joints)  to straighten them. 

3) Flip over to the top side and score the shrimp halfway through  (at the joints) at a slight angle. 

4) Use your fingers to squeeze the shrimp and stretch them out. 

5) Dry them on paper towels. Finally, coat each shrimp with flour and pat off any excess. Set aside until frying time. 

6) Slice the vegetables into 5mm or ¼”. Cut off the shiitake stems. Dry them with paper towels. Set aside. 

Batter 

1) Pour cold water into a bowl. Place ice cubes in to keep the batter cold. Add the salt and egg. Mix everything together. 

2) Then, add the flour. But do not whisk it in! Instead, gently push in the flour until all of it becomes moistened. It’s good to have lumps in the mixture. 

Frying 

1) Put oil into the pot or fryer. Turn on medium heat and bring it up to 340~360F. 

2) When the oil is ready, slowly pour a little bit of the batter into the oil. Stir around with chopsticks (be careful of oil!). Let the flakes cook for 10-15 seconds. 

3) Use a strainer (or other utensil) to gather some flakes into a corner of the pot. Then pick up shrimp and dip them into the wet batter. Place the shrimp in the corner, on top of the flakes. Use chopsticks (or a fork) to cover the rest of the shrimp with flakes. 

4) Fry until light golden color (roughly 1-2 minutes).

5) Repeat the same for the vegetables. 

6) When all the ingredients are cooked, place them onto a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Enjoy while they are crispy and hot!