Mixed Tempura & Tendon Dipping Sauce
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
Tendon Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons Japanese Tsuyu Sauce (aka Mentsuyu)
- 3 Tablespoons Water
- 1 Tablespoon Sake (or Korean Cheongju)
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- Few cracks Black Pepper
Tempura Ingredients & Dry Batter
- 10-15 Shrimp
- 2 Eggplant
- Few pinches of Salt (For seasoning Shrimp & Eggplant)
- Few Tablespoons All Purpose Flour (or Tempura Frying Mix) (For coating Shrimp & Eggplant)
- Good amount of Vegetable Oil (For deep-frying)
Wet Tempura Batter
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour (or Tempura Frying Mix)
- Handful of Ice cubes
Instructions
Make Tendon Dipping Sauce
- Place-in Japanese Tsuyu Sauce (4 Tablespoons), Water (3 Tablespoons), Sake or Cheongju (1 Tablespoon), Sugar (2 Tablespoons), Black Pepper (few shakes) into a pot.
- Place the pot on a medium heat. Stir it around as the mixture comes to a boil.
- Once it boils, let it gently cook away for another 2 minutes on a medium-low. Afterwards, turn off the heat. Place it into a bowl - set aside.
Prep Shrimp & Eggplant
- Peel and devein each shrimp. Keep the tail on.
- Cut the underside of the shrimp half-way through (at the joints) to straighten them.
- Flip-over to the belly-side and score the shrimp half-way through (at the joints).
- Use your fingers to squeeze the shrimp and stretch them out.
- Lay them out on a tray and season it with a few pinches of salt & black pepper.
- Now place the shrimp into a plastic bag. Place-in 2-3 Tablespoons of Flour (or Tempura Frying Mix) into the bag. Twist the bag and give it a good shake. The shrimp should be well coated now. Set it aside for later.
- Cut eggplant into rough pieces. Season the pieces with a few pinches of salt & black pepper. Place the eggplant pieces into a plastic bag. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of flour (or tempura frying mix) into the bag. Twist the bag and give it a good shake. The eggplant should be well coated now. Set it aside for later.
Make Wet Batter
- Place 1 egg yolk into a mixing bowl. Then pour cold water (2 cups) into the bowl. Place in a few ice cubes to keep the batter cold. Whisk it thoroughly.
- Next, add in 1 cup of Flour (or Tempura Frying Mix) into the mixture. But do not whisk it in! Instead, gently push the flour into the liquid until all of it becomes moistened. It's good to have lumps in the mixture. (Reference video for more details.)
- Place the wet batter into the refrigerator - to keep it cold (until the oil is ready).
Fry Tempura
- Put enough oil into a pot or fryer. Turn on medium heat and bring up to 340~360F. Place a few drops of batter into oil to gauge the temperature (refer to long text above).
- When oil is ready, take out the wet batter from the refrigerator. Pick-up a battered shrimp or eggplant and dip it into the wet batter. Then carefully place into the oil.
- Fry the pieces until they get a light golden color (roughly 1-2 minutes).
- Note on frying: Don't fry too many pieces at once - the temperature of the oil will drop and the food will start to soak-in the oil. Also use a small strainer to scoop out any leftover crumbs in the oil. Or else, the crumbs will start to burn and darken the oil.
Enjoy Life
- Dip the delicious shrimp and eggplant in the Tendon Sauce - Bon Appetit!
Notes
- Throw in a few ice cubes to keep the batter cold. A cold batter translates to a light texture when fried.
- Do not over-mix or whisk the batter. Gently push the dry ingredients into the water until they become soaked. It will look lumpy - that is what we are looking for!
- See video for more details