Shrimp Tempura

Tempura is a Japanese dish usually of battered and deep-fried seafood or vegetables and is usually served with grated daikon cabbage (yawn) and some form of dipping sauce.

Having said that, this my tempura (shrimp) recipe, along with a recipe for a less-boring green accompaniment.

Shrimp Tempura

Ingredients

• 200 mL carbonated water, chilled
• 3/4 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• cornstarch
• 10 raw jumbo shrimp or ~20 smaller shrimp (thawed, if frozen) and shelled
• 2-3 cups oil, such as canola or peanut for frying

Directions

• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Add the egg yolk and carbonated water.
• Lightly coat the shrimp in cornstarch.
• Heat your oil over medium-high heat in a wok or deep pot.
• In batches, dip the shrimp into the batter then place into the hot oil. It should start sizzling immediately.
• Deep-fry until a golden brown. Repeat. Scooping out the bits of batter that come off in the oil, so they do not burn and flavour the oil.

Don’t overmix the batter as agitation will overwork the gluten making the batter more dough-like and chewy –not to mention release more of the carbonation out of the water.