These featherlight, crisp pieces of seafood and vegetables make a beautifully delicate dish. Two batches of tempura batter are needed here – make each batch just before you need to use it.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 8 raw jumbo shrimps (king prawns), peeled, deveined, tails intact
- 200 g/7 oz piece squid, opened out flat
- 200 g/7 oz white fish fillet, cut into 4 even pieces
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 60 ml/2 fl oz/¼ cup sesame oil
- All-purpose (plain) flour, for coating
Vegetables:
- ½ small onion, cut into 4 thin wedges, a toothpick securing each wedge
- 4 very thin slices jap (kent) pumpkin, unpeeled
- 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
- 1 baby aubergine (eggplant), cut into 5 mm/¼ inch thick slices on the diagonal
- ½ small green pepper (capsicum), cut lengthways into quarters
- 4 shiso leaves, optional
- Tempura dipping sauce or ready-made, to serve
- 70 g/2½ oz daikon, peeled, finely grated, then squeezed to remove excess liquid, to serve
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger, to serve
Method:
Make two batches of the tempura batter. One batch is for dipping the vegetables and one batch is for the seafood.
To prepare the seafood, make three cuts in the belly of the shrimps. Turn the shrimps over and, starting from the tail end, press down gently at intervals along the length of the shrimp – this helps to break the connective tissue, preventing the shrimps from curling up too much. Finely score squid in a crisscross pattern on both sides, then cut into 4 x 3 cm (1½ x 1¼ inch) pieces. Arrange the seafood and vegetables on separate platters. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until using.
Fill a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan one-third full of vegetable oil, then add the sesame oil. Heat to 180°C/350°F, or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds.
Dip each ingredient into the flour (except the shiso leaves) before dipping it into the batter. Dip the shiso directly into the batter. Starting with the onion and pumpkin, quickly dip into the tempura batter, allowing the excess to drip off, then lower into the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through and the batter is lightly golden and crispy. It should also look lacy and a little see-through – if the batter is too thick, add a little more iced water. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest of the vegetables. Skim off any bits of floating batter as you cook.
Cook seafood in small batches for 1-3 minutes, or until just cooked through and lightly golden and crisp. Keep warm in the oven.
Serve with a small bowl of the tempura dipping sauce with grated daikon and ginger mixed in according to taste.