David's Tempura

David's Tempura - serves 7-8 

This is one of Nani's favorite meals and she remembers when David and Tommy made it for her at the yellow house.  

Measure about 2 1/2 C Japanese rice, cook in rice cooker.  

For the batter (keep everything very cold): 

400 ml cold water


200 ml sparkling water, chilled 

60 g potato starch or corn starch


300 g cake flour


2 eggs, chilled

1.  Combine 60 g potato starch and 300 g cake flour into a small chilled bowl. 

2.  Combine water and sparkling water into medium mixing bowl.  Add eggs and gently whisk to fully combine eggs into the water.  

3.  Gently stir in flour, 1/3 at a time, with chopsticks or Danish dough whisk.  Do not over mix or whisk.  Place the bowl of batter on top of a slightly larger bowl filled with ice water, so that the batter stays ice cold. 

SAUCE: combine and keep warm on the stove until serving. 

3 cups dashi stock

9 tablespoons soy sauce

9 tablespoons mirin

grated Daikon to taste (give each person about 1T on their plates, so they can add it to the sauce).  

Meanwhile, prepare your tempura ingredients by washing, cutting, and drying them with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
 

Examples:  

18 - 24  oz shrimp

2-4  fillets of firm white fish  (cod, halibut) - aim for chunky pieces

Firm tofu cut into 2x3cm cubes

A sheet pan filled with vege is just about the right amount: 

Sweet potato, cut into thin slices

Carrots, bundled matchsticks

Broccoli florets

Green beans, single

Bell pepper slices 

Shitake mushrooms 

etc etc                 

4.  Preheat vegetable oil in wok, to 180 °C (356 °F).


5.  Cook the same ingredients at the same time (ex. 6 slices of sweet potato) being careful to not let them turn brown.  The tempura batter should remain light in color.  

David likes to cook one batch of each ingredient, so that everyone has a chance to taste everything, and then he takes "requests" on what people want more of. 

Serve with the sauce and Japanese rice.  YUM