Authentic Crispy Shrimp or Prawn Tempura

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It's easy to make light, crispy shrimp tempura at home with this easy, Japanese recipe.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Cooking Style frying

Seasonal Father's Day, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day

Ingredient shrimp

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 493

Author The Japanese Food Culture Cookbook

Ingredients

For the Tempura

1 lb jumbo shrimp or tiger prawns with tail
1 egg yolk large
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup ice cold water
oil for frying my preferred is avocado oil*

For the dipping sauce (tentsuyu)

¾ cup dashi stock see my link in the introduction to purchase dashi
2 tsp. granulated sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
2- inch daikon radish grated

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Instructions

For getting straight fried shrimp tempura rather than curved ones, make slits on the underside of the shrimp halfway through. Flip and make tiny cuts on the front belly also. Pat it dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Start by placing the dashi, sugar, soy sauce and mirin in a medium-sized saucepan.
Heat it over medium heat and bring the sauce to a boil.
Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer.
Continue simmering until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove from the heat and set it aside to cool. Divide among individual dipping bowls and serve the daikon on the side.
Now, heat oil in a wok over medium heat and allow it to warm up. Tip: Maintain a temperature of 350-375 degrees throughout the whole cooking process.
While the oil is heating, sift the flour. Mix the cold water and egg in a medium-sized bowl until whisked well. Remove the foam that appears at the top.
Next, gradually stir the flour into the egg mixture. Do not over mix. It is ok to have a few small umps. Keep the batter cold at all times. Make the batter just before frying as using cold batter makes for a light texture when fried.**
Sprinkle potato starch over the shrimp.
Dip the shrimp in the batter until coated well and shake off the excess.
Place the shrimp or prawns in the frying pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are golden brown. Tip: Make sure to not over-crowd while frying as it can make it soggy.
Transfer cooked shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate and remove the excess oil.
Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Notes

*See notes in the introduction on cooking oils. I use avocado oil because it is the healthiest option for frying although it is more expensive than other frying oils.

**If you prefer, you can even add 2 to 3 ice cubes to the batter to keep it cold.

Toppings: Top it with togarashi or seven chili spice for added heat.

Serve with: You can serve it with a dipping sauce called Tentsuyu or with matcha and yuzu salt.

A note on the provided nutrition information

The nutrition information provided has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition