Original: English

Vegetable Tempura

by 料理研究家ゆかりのおうちで簡単レシピ / Yukari's Kitchen

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.

📖Cooking Basics

dry（tantanmen）

Steps

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.
🕒 02:10
Add 1 tbsp mayonnaise to a bowl and gradually add 20ml cooking sake while mixing well to prevent lumps.
🕒 02:45
Once smooth, add 60ml water, mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.
🕒 03:33
Wrap 1.5 tbsp / 50g cake flour in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator along with the batter.
🕒 03:48
In a small saucepan, combine 100ml water, 1 tbsp mirin, and 1/2 tsp dashi powder. Heat over medium heat.
🕒 03:57
Once boiling, let it boil for about 15 seconds to evaporate the alcohol from the mirin.
🕒 04:08
Turn off the heat, add 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, and mix well. Let cool to room temperature.
🕒 04:32
Cut off the core of the 1/2 onion, slice it 7mm thick along the grain, and gently separate the slices.
🕒 04:48
Finely slice the white and green parts of the 30g long green onion.
🕒 05:10
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.
🕒 06:08
Peel the skin of the 30g carrot, slice it thinly, and then cut into thin strips.
🕒 06:37
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.
🕒 07:01
Rinse the thawed shrimp briefly under water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Remove any deveined lines and cut into 1cm chunks.
🕒 07:47
Combine the cut onion, long green onion, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, mitsuba, and shrimp in a bowl and mix well.
🕒 08:26
Sprinkle 1.5 tbsp cake flour over the mixed ingredients and coat thoroughly. 【Here's a tip!】 This helps the coating adhere better.
🕒 08:34
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.
🕒 08:52
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.
🕒 09:48
Add vegetable oil to the pan to a depth of about 1.5cm and heat to 170℃.
🕒 10:15
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.
🕒 10:32
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.
🕒 10:53
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.
🕒 11:33
After flipping, fry for a total of 3-4 minutes until both sides are crispy.
🕒 12:19
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.
🕒 12:45
Fry the remaining ingredients following steps 17-23.
🕒 13:02
Once all the tempura is fried, drain the oil for about 3 minutes.
🕒 14:25
Plate the tempura and serve with the cooled dipping sauce. Ready to enjoy!
🕒 14:30