Steps

1. Remove only the dark or damaged parts of the lotus root skin. 【This is the key!】 Since discoloration is due to polyphenols, use it as is without soaking in water.
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2. Slice the lotus root into rounds, slightly thick.
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3. Cut off the stem of the eggplant with a circular motion and cut into small pieces.
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4. Slice the sweet potato into thin rounds. 【This is the key!】 Cutting them this thick shortens the frying time and makes it less prone to failure. Since discoloration is due to polyphenols, use them with the skin on without soaking in water.
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5. Cut the chikuwa into bite-sized pieces.
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6. In a bowl, combine 4 tbsp cake flour and 4 tbsp potato starch.
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7. Add 1/2 tbsp vinegar to the combined flour.
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8. Then, add 80cc water little by little while observing, and mix thoroughly. 【This is the key!】 Adding vinegar weakens the gluten, resulting in a crispy texture. Don't add all the water at once; aim for a consistency where the batter clings to your chopsticks when lifted.
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9. Add about 2-3mm of rice oil to the bottom of the frying pan and heat over medium heat.
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10. Drop a small amount of batter to check the oil temperature. When small bubbles appear, it's ready.
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11. Lightly coat the cut lotus root, eggplant, and sweet potato with batter and arrange them in the frying pan.
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12. Flip them over when browned and cook until a skewer can easily pierce the sweet potato.
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13. Remove cooked pieces from the frying pan.
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14. Add curry powder to the remaining batter and mix.
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15. Add the cut chikuwa to the batter and coat thoroughly.
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16. If necessary, add a little more rice oil to the frying pan and place the curry-flavored chikuwa to fry.
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17. Once the coating on the chikuwa has firmed up, fry them while frequently turning to ensure even cooking.
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18. Stir-fry them in a rolling motion once a film has formed all over. Stop cooking when you hear a rustling sound.
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19. Sprinkle salt on the freshly fried tempura and enjoy. 【This is the key!】 The frying pan has so little oil residue after frying that it can be cleaned with just two kitchen paper sheets, making cleanup easy.
    🕒 08:04