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Almost any seafood or vegetables (including pumpkin, baby eggplant and sweet potato) can be served as tempura. To ensure a thin crisp batter, keep the eggs and water in the fridge until the last minute and make the batter just before using. Only fry small amounts at a time, allowing the oil to come back to temperature before adding the next batch – and serve the tempura as soon as it’s cooked. Tempura paper is absorbent paper available from Asian grocery stores.
INGREDIENTS:
6 green prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact
125g firm white fish, skin off (see Note)
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into thick rings
6 green beans, trimmed
6 slices sweet potato (scrubbed but unpeeled)
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Plain flour, for dusting
Tempura Dipping Sauce
⅓ cup mirin
⅓ cup light soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
Tempura Batter
1 cold egg yolk, lightly beaten (see above)
1 cup cold soda water (see above)
½ cup plain flour
½ cup cornflour
METHOD:
Make three shallow cuts on underside of each prawn, to prevent curling. Cut the fish into about 6 pieces, each about 10-12 cm long and 2 cm wide.
Make Tempura Dipping Sauce: mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Make Tempura Batter: beat egg and water together, stir in plain and corn flours until just combined – it should still be a bit lumpy.
Heat oil to 180ºC, if you don’t have a thermometer, test by dropping in a small amount of batter, if it drops just below the surface of the oil, then bounces back to the surface, it’s ready.
Working in batches, and skimming oil between batches to remove any batter, dust sweet potato lightly in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in batter, drain off excess, lower into oil, deep-fry for about 2½-3 minutes, until lightly golden, then drain well on paper towel.
Repeat with onion and beans, frying for about 1½ minutes, then prawns and fish, frying for about 1 minute.
Arrange on a platter and serve immediately with individual bowls of dipping sauce.
NOTES:
Mirin is a sweet Japanese fortified rice wine used for cooking. True mirin (labelled ‘hon mirin’) contains alcohol, so what is available in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores, and normally used, is non-alcoholic ‘mirin seasoning’.
ALTERNATIVE SPECIES:
Bugs, Calamari, Leatherjacket, Ling, Marron, Redclaw, Salmon, Scampi, Squid, Yabby.