Steps

1. In a bowl, combine 180ml dashi stock, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tbsp mirin to make tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce). [This is the secret!] Using sake instead of cooking wine, and genuine mirin instead of mirin-style seasoning, will make the dish more delicious.
   🕒 01:56
2. Peel the thawed shrimp, leaving only the shell at the tip of the tail. Remove the sharp point of the tail.
   🕒 02:29
3. Make a diagonal cut at the tip of the tail, spread it open, and squeeze out the water inside. [This is the secret!] This water can cause the shrimp to burst when fried, so be sure to remove it.
   🕒 03:17
4. Remove the vein from the shrimp.
   🕒 03:42
5. With the tail to the left, make about 4 diagonal cuts into the body of the shrimp, about one-third of the way through.
   🕒 03:55
6. Lightly press down on the shrimp to cut the muscle fibers, allowing it to open. If you feel a "popping" sensation, the fibers have been cut. [This is the secret!] This prevents the shrimp from curling when fried.
   🕒 04:26
7. Thinly slice the sweet potato and soak it in water for about 5 minutes.
   🕒 04:54
8. Peel the tough lower part of the asparagus about halfway up and cut it to fit in the pot.
   🕒 05:07
9. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and make decorative cuts.
   🕒 05:22
10. Remove the stem from the eggplant, cut it in half, make diagonal slits, and create a fan shape with the tip still attached.
    🕒 05:52
11. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin. If the skin is tough, peel some of it off. Cut into slices about 5mm thick. Cut larger pieces in half.
    🕒 06:47
12. Pierce the sweet pepper with a skewer or your fingernail to make a hole. [This is the secret!] There is a sac-like part inside that can explode when fried, so be sure to make a hole to avoid danger.
    🕒 07:08
13. In a chilled bowl, combine 300ml cold water, 1 egg, and 180g all-purpose flour. Mix with a cross-shaped motion without developing gluten. Stop mixing when there are still a few lumps. [This is the secret!] Do not overmix to avoid generating gluten. It should be slightly watery.
    🕒 07:51
14. Prepare the flour for dusting.
    🕒 08:47
15. Dust the shrimp with flour, then coat generously with batter before placing in frying oil heated to 160 degrees Celsius.
    🕒 09:06
16. Place the battered shrimp into the frying oil, tilting it from front to back. Use a spoon to pour some of the oil onto the edges of the batter. Do not overcrowd the pan.
    🕒 09:22
17. Coat the sweet potato and pumpkin with a slightly thicker batter and add them to the frying oil. [This is the secret!] Frying for a longer time will bring out their sweetness.
    🕒 10:31
18. Flip them over when the edges start to firm up. Once the batter has solidified, submerge them in the frying oil. [This is the secret!] This will make the batter crispy.
    🕒 10:54
19. When the fried sweet potato and pumpkin are done, drain them by holding them upright for 2-3 seconds before placing them on a rack, also standing them up.
    🕒 11:25
20. Coat the eggplant with batter, lightly shake off excess, and place in the frying oil.
    🕒 11:51
21. Dust the back of the shiso leaves with flour, apply a little batter to the back only, and submerge in the frying oil.
    🕒 12:17
22. Check the doneness of the sweet potato and pumpkin by inserting a toothpick; it should slide through easily.
    🕒 12:55
23. Coat the maitake mushrooms generously with batter and add them to the frying oil.
    🕒 13:40
24. Fry the eggplant after coating it generously with batter.
    🕒 13:56
25. Fry the shiitake mushrooms, turning them 2-3 times, ensuring they are well-coated with batter.
    🕒 14:07
26. Fry the sweet peppers while adding some of the fried batter bits.
    🕒 14:47
27. They are done when the batter has solidified and the bubbling subsides. Remove and drain the oil by standing them upright.
    🕒 15:09
28. Use the sweet potato and pumpkin as a base for plating, then stand the shrimp on top.
    🕒 15:43