Tempura

Ingredients

Tempura batter:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup ice water
• 1 cup rice flour

Directions

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolk and pour in ice water, slightly mix. Add the flour all at once, stroke a few times with a fork just until ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be somewhat lumpy. Yield: 4 servings

Tempura dipping sauce:

• 1/2 cup mirin or sake
• 1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup grated daikon radish
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine mirin, soy sauce and sugar. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl, add grated radish and ginger just before serving. Yield: 1 cup

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil, for flavoring frying oil
• 1 cup flour, for dusting

Traditional tempura ingredients:

• 1/2 pound large shrimp, cleaned, tails on
• 1/2 pound scallops
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally in strips
• 4 ounces Chinese green beans, ends trimmed
• 4 ounces mushrooms
• 5 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
• 2 Japanese eggplants, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F in a wok or deep-fryer. Flavor with sesame oil. Dry the vegetables well. Dust shrimp and vegetables in flour to soak up remaining moisture, shake off excess. Dip the shrimp and vegetables into the batter one by one. Drop 6 pieces at a time in hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes. To keep the oil clean, skim the small bits of batter that float in the oil between batches. Remove the fried pieces from the oil and drain on a paper towel for a few seconds. Serve with dipping sauce.

Yield: 8 servings