Ebi (Shrimp) Tempura
Succulent shrimps coated in a thin batter and fried until lightly crisp, and served with a sweet-salty dipping sauce, ebi tempura is simply delightful.
Ingredients
For the tentsuyu sauce
- 1/4 cup dashi
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon grated daikon
The shrimps
- 3/4 kilogram shrimps, about 12 pieces
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cooking oil, (you may need more depending on the size and shape of your pan)
For the batter
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
Instructions
Make the dipping sauce
- Make the tentsuyu sauce by mixing together all the ingredients. Set aside.
Prepare the shrimps
- Place cleaned the shrimps on a plate in a single layer and sprinkle two tablespoons of flour over them. Toss lightly to cover the shrimps completely with a thin coating of flour.
- At this stage, start heating the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Make sure that the oil is at least three inches deep.
Make the batter
- Mix together the flour, starch and egg with half a cup of cold water.
- Add ice to the batter and mix until you have a rather thin but not watery batter. The consistency should be thinner than pancake batter.
Fry the shrimps
- Test the temperature of the oil. The ideal temperature is 350F. If you don’t have a thermometer, drizzle in a little batter. If it sinks, the oil is not hot enough. If it browns within a few seconds, the oil is too hot. Adjust and keep testing until you get the correct temperature.
- Dip each shrimp in the batter then drop into the hot oil. Fry no more than two or three pieces at a time.
- Dip your (clean) fingers in the batter then drizzle the batter directly over and around the shrimps.
- Fry the shrimps for one to two minutes or just until crisp, flipping halfway through for even cooking.
- Scoop out and move to a rack or strainer.
- Scoop out any excess batter in the oil and move to a plate before frying the next batch.
- Serve your ebi (shrimp) tempura immediately with tentsuyu sauce for dipping.
Notes
Serving tempura immediately — any kind of tempura — is crucial. The crust loses its signature crispiness as it cools.
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