Tempura with Rice

Name: Tempura with Rice
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 12 large Shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on); 1 small Sweet Potato, peeled and sliced into 5 mm rounds; 200g Kabocha Squash, sliced into 5 mm pieces; 1 small Japanese Eggplant, sliced into 5–7 mm rounds or batons; 8 Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed; 12 beans of Green Beans, trimmed; 60g All-purpose Flour, for dusting; 1 large Egg, cold; 240ml Water, ice-cold; 120g Cake Flour, sifted and chilled; 1.5 l Neutral Oil, vegetable/canola, for deep-frying; 400ml Dashi, kombu–bonito stock; 100ml Soy Sauce; 100ml Mirin; 1 tsp Sugar; 150g Daikon, grated and lightly drained (about 1 cup); 2 tsp Ginger, fresh, grated; 2 cups Japanese Short-Grain Rice, uncooked; 440ml Water

Light, crisp tempura pairs with steaming Japanese short-grain rice for a simple yet elegant meal—delicate shrimp and a medley of vegetables are battered and fried until pale golden, then dipped into a savory tentsuyu sauce brightened with grated daikon and ginger. The contrast of crunchy tempura and sticky rice makes every bite satisfying and comforting.

Light, crisp tempura pairs with steaming Japanese short-grain rice for a simple yet elegant meal—delicate shrimp and a medley of v... Show more

Traditional Japanese Recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Rating

4.4

Time

55 min

Price

2,85 €

Calories

1009 kcal

low sodium

low sugar

kid friendly

comfort food

Method

Rinse the rice

Rinse the Japanese Short-Grain Rice in a bowl with plenty of cold water, swishing it gently with your hand. Drain and repeat until the water is much less cloudy, then let the rice sit in the strainer for a minute so excess water drips off.

Cook the rice

Put the rinsed rice in a saucepan with Water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, cover, drop the heat to low, and simmer for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand, still covered, for 10 minutes so the steam finishes the grains.

Simmer the sauce

In a small saucepan, combine the Dashi, Soy Sauce, Mirin, and Sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is just beginning to simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove it from the heat and keep it warm.

Prep the tempura

Slice the Sweet Potato into 5 mm rounds, the Kabocha Squash into 5 mm pieces, and the Japanese Eggplant into 5–7 mm rounds or batons. Trim the Green Beans, remove the stems from the Shiitake Mushrooms, and pat the Shrimp dry with paper towels, leaving the tails on. Put the All-purpose Flour in a shallow dish and line up all the vegetables and shrimp on a tray so they are easy to grab.

Whisk the batter

In a bowl, whisk the Egg with 240 ml ice-cold water just until combined, then add the sifted, chilled Cake Flour. Stir only 8 to 10 times with chopsticks or a fork; the batter should stay lumpy and thin. Make it right before frying and keep it cold.

Heat the oil

Pour the Neutral Oil into a deep, heavy pot and heat it over medium heat to 340° F to 350° F. Keep a kitchen thermometer in the oil and adjust the heat so the temperature stays steady while you fry.

Fry the vegetables

Working in small batches, lightly dust the prepared vegetables with the flour, dip them into the batter, and let the excess drip off for a second. Slide the pieces into the hot oil and fry until the coating is pale gold and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes for the sweet potato and kabocha and about 2 minutes for the eggplant, shiitakes, and green beans. Transfer each batch to a rack or paper towel-lined tray.

Fry the shrimp

Dust the Shrimp lightly with the flour, dip them into the batter, and fry until pink, curled, and crisp, about 2 minutes per batch. Pull them out as soon as they are just cooked through.

Grate the condiments

Grate the Daikon, then lightly drain it in a sieve or by squeezing it gently in your hand so it stays fluffy, not watery. Grate the Ginger finely and keep both condiments nearby for serving.

Assemble and serve

Fluff the rice and divide it among warm bowls. Arrange the tempura alongside the rice, spoon the tentsuyu into small dipping bowls, and add a little daikon and ginger to each bowl or let everyone mix them in as they like. Serve immediately while the coating is still light and crisp.