Description
Light and crispy Japanese shrimp tempura with an airy batter coating, served with traditional tetsuya dipping sauce. This restaurant-quality recipe creates perfectly golden tempura with a delicate crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb shrimp
- Neutral cooking oil (vegetable oil preferred)
- ¾ c all purpose flour
- ½ c potato starch
- 1 large egg (cold from the fridge)
- ¼ c vodka (chilled in the freezer)
- ¾ c carbonated water (chilled in the fridge)
- 1 c water (for sauce)
- 2 g dashi mix
- ¼ c soy sauce
- ¼ c mirin
Instructions
- Clean shrimp under running water and remove heads. Devein by pulling vein from head opening.
- Score shallow (â…› inch) cuts on shrimp belly to straighten. Dry on paper towels.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in heavy pot to 350°F.
- Mix flour and ½ cup potato starch in bowl.
- In another bowl, mix egg with cold vodka, then add carbonated water.
- Add wet mixture to flour bowl. Mix quickly with chopsticks in swift movements for under 1 minute. Don’t overmix – keep lumps.
- Dust shrimp lightly with remaining potato starch in shallow bowl.
- Hold shrimp by tail, dunk in batter, and carefully lower into oil. Add extra batter drops for crispy tendrils.
- Fry 1-2 minutes, turn, then remove to paper towels on cooling rack.
- For sauce: Heat water in small pot over medium-low heat. Add dashi mix, soy sauce, and mirin. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat.
Notes
- Keep batter ingredients very cold for crispiest results
- Don’t overmix batter – lumps are essential for light texture
- Oil temperature is crucial – use thermometer for best results
- Serve immediately while hot and crispy
- Extra potato starch coating helps batter adhere
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Deep Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 pieces
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
Keywords: shrimp tempura, Japanese appetizer, crispy tempura, ebi tempura, tetsuya sauce, deep fried shrimp, Japanese cooking, tempura batter