Yield: 10 Portions
Ingredient Amount
Batter
Flour, all purpose 4 Cups
Cold water 6 Cups
Whole egg, whipped 2 each
Shrimp, peeled, tail on, devined 20 ea.
Mushroom shiitake, remove stems 10 slices
slice on bias, 1/8-inch thickness
Onions, white, 1/3” thick slices 10 slices
as per chef demo
Green beans, ends trimmed 20 ea.
Lotus root, peeled, 1/8-inch slices 20 slices
*Shiso leaves 10 ea.
Method:
1. In a mixing bowl combine ¼ of the water and egg, add vegetables – one type at a time – and toss in liquid. Lightly sprinkle with about ¼ of the flour. This is done by “feel”. When the vegetable is lightly coated with a lumpy batter it is ready to fry immediately. Repeat this procedure with each vegetable.
Fry vegetables until lightly golden and crisp. Remove from oil, keep warm while other vegetables are being cooked, serve with Ponzu sauce – recipe follows
How to Cut Vegetables and Seafood for Tempura
One of the delights of tempura is the interesting shapes that the food takes on during frying. You can take some liberties in how you prepare the vegetables, but be sure that they ’re cut so that they’ll be tender inside just when the batter is crisp and golden. Here are some suggested cutting techniques. Remember to dry all ingredients thoroughly before dunking them in the tempura batter.
Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Cut a sharp angle to make elongated ovals, ½-inch thick, or cut in lengthwise wedges, 3 to 4- inches long.
Bell Peppers Core and seed, remove all pith, and cut lengthwise into strips ½-inch wide.
Shiitake Mushrooms Remove stems and fry the caps whole or cut out a decorative star on top.
Green Beans Trim ends and fry whole.
Sweet onions Before peeling, cut into rings 1-inch thick; then pull off outer layer of skin.
Eggplant Cut in half lengthwise, cut half moons ¼-inch thick; sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit for 20 minutes to purge excess bitter juices; rinse and pat dry.
Asparagus Trim off all of the woody base with a decorative bias cut.
Sweet Potatoes and Celery Root
Cut into slices, ¼.
Carrots and Parsnips Cut on a sharp angle to make elongated ovals, ¼-inch thick.
Lotus Root Cut in cross sections to reveal the beautiful seed pod pattern, ¼-inch thick.
Shrimp Peel and divine, leaving on the tail (and head, if you like); season with salt and pepper just before dipping in batter.
Squid Cut into rings; season with salt and pepper just before dipping in batter.