A recipe for making crispy vegetable tempura at home like you'd find at a restaurant. We'll share tips for success and details on how to make it delicious, perfect for topping Toshikoshi soba.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients (Serves 3)

  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 shiitake mushrooms
  • 30g carrot
  • 30g long green onion
  • 1/4 bunch mitsuba (Japanese parsley)
  • 40g frozen peeled shrimp
  • 1.5 tbsp / 50g cake flour

Seasonings

  • [A] 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • [A] 20ml cooking sake
  • [A] 60ml water
  • [B] 100ml water
  • [B] 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • [B] 1 tbsp mirin
  • [B] 1/2 tsp dashi powder
  • Vegetable oil to taste

Steps

  1. In a bowl, mix 200ml of water (not part of the recipe's measurement) with 1 tsp salt. Add 40g frozen peeled shrimp and let thaw for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 【Here's a tip!】 Thawing shrimp in salt water helps prevent it from shrinking and results in a plump texture.
  2. Add 1 tbsp mayonnaise to a bowl and gradually add 20ml cooking sake while mixing well to prevent lumps.
  3. Once smooth, add 60ml water, mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.
  4. Wrap 1.5 tbsp / 50g cake flour in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator along with the batter.
  5. In a small saucepan, combine 100ml water, 1 tbsp mirin, and 1/2 tsp dashi powder. Heat over medium heat.
  6. Once boiling, let it boil for about 15 seconds to evaporate the alcohol from the mirin.
  7. Turn off the heat, add 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, and mix well. Let cool to room temperature.
  8. Cut off the core of the 1/2 onion, slice it 7mm thick along the grain, and gently separate the slices.
  9. Finely slice the white and green parts of the 30g long green onion.
  10. Cut off the stems of the 2 shiitake mushrooms. Slice the caps thinly (5mm thick), and slice the stems thinly after cutting off the tough ends.
  11. Peel the skin of the 30g carrot, slice it thinly, and then cut into thin strips.
  12. Cut off the roots of the 1/4 bunch mitsuba, wash thoroughly with water, and pat dry. Cut the stems into 2-3cm pieces and roughly chop the leaves.
  13. Rinse the thawed shrimp briefly under water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Remove any deveined lines and cut into 1cm chunks.
  14. Combine the cut onion, long green onion, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, mitsuba, and shrimp in a bowl and mix well.
  15. Sprinkle 1.5 tbsp cake flour over the mixed ingredients and coat thoroughly. 【Here's a tip!】 This helps the coating adhere better.
  16. Take out the chilled batter (liquid). Add the chilled cake flour (remaining approx. 50g) in three portions, mixing gently each time. 【Here's a tip!】 Overmixing can cause stickiness, so stop when there are still some flour streaks remaining.
  17. Place one portion of the ingredients (about 1/3 of the total amount) in a small bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp of the prepared batter and mix. 【Here's a tip!】 Mixing the batter right before frying prevents over-coating and ensures a crispy result.
  18. Add vegetable oil to the pan to a depth of about 1.5cm and heat to 170℃.
  19. Carefully add the coated ingredients to the oil at the correct temperature. Use chopsticks to gently separate the ingredients and spread them out. 【Here's a tip!】 This allows the oil to surround all the ingredients for a crispy finish.
  20. After spreading for about 5-10 seconds, use the back of a skimmer, chopsticks, and the edge of the pan to shape the tempura. 【Here's a tip!】 This keeps your hands away from the hot oil.
  21. Once the ingredients start to firm up after about 1 minute, gently push them together with chopsticks to stabilize their shape. Once the shape is no longer collapsing, flip them over.
  22. After flipping, fry for a total of 3-4 minutes until both sides are crispy.
  23. When removing the fried tempura, lean it against the edge of the pan to drain excess oil. 【Here's a tip!】 This prevents oil from pooling and makes it less greasy.
  24. Fry the remaining ingredients following steps 17-23.
  25. Once all the tempura is fried, drain the oil for about 3 minutes.
  26. Plate the tempura and serve with the cooled dipping sauce. Ready to enjoy!

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