Prawn and vegetable tempura
25 min · serves 2
The colder the batter and the less you stir it, the crisper the coating. Eat it straight from the oil; it softens fast.
Ingredients
- 250 g Tiger prawns
- 100 g Plain flour
- 30 g Cornstarch
- 180 ml Ice-cold water
- 1 egg Egg
- 100 g Sweet potato
- 80 g Carrot
- 4 leaves Perilla leaves
- 50 g Daikon
- 30 ml Soy sauce
- 15 ml Mirin
- 500 ml Cooking oil
Method
- Peel the prawns but leave the tails on, devein them, make three shallow cuts across the belly, then press gently to straighten each one.
- Slice the sweet potato and carrot 3 mm thick and pat them completely dry with kitchen paper.
- Beat the egg into the ice water, tip in the flour and cornstarch, stir a few strokes with chopsticks and stop while the batter is still lumpy.
- Heat the oil to 175C and test with a drop of batter; it should rise to the surface almost immediately.
- Dip the vegetables in batter and fry for 2 minutes, drain on a rack, then fry the prawns for 90 seconds until the coating is pale and crisp.
- Grate the daikon, squeeze out the excess liquid, and mix it with the soy sauce, mirin and two spoons of hot water for the dipping sauce.