Tendon Tempura Rice Bowl with Shrimp and Vegetables

What you need

• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) cooked short-grain rice, hot
• 4 large shrimp, shell-on, heads removed
• 4 slices sweet potato, 7 mm (1/4 in) thick, skin on
• 2 slices eggplant, 1 cm (1/2 in) thick
• 1 green bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 60 g (1/2 cup) tempura flour, plus 2 tbsp for dusting
• 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) cold water, for the batter
• 50 ml (3 1/2 tbsp) soy sauce
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) mirin
• 3 g (1 small handful) bonito flakes
• 500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil, for deep-frying
• 1 pinch salt, for rinsing the shrimp
• sansho pepper, optional, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Boil the mirin in a small pot over low heat for about 1 min, until the sharp alcohol smell has gone.

2. 2

   Add the soy sauce and bonito flakes, pushing the flakes under the liquid. Simmer for 1 min, turn off the heat and strain. This is the sauce for the bowls.

3. 3

   Peel the shrimp but leave the tail segment on. Devein them, cut the tail tip off at an angle and squeeze out the water inside it so the oil will not spit.

4. 4

   Rinse the shrimp in cold water with a pinch of salt, then pat them very dry.

5. 5

   Make 4 shallow cuts across the belly of each shrimp. Press the shrimp flat, back side up, until you feel the tendons snap, so they stay straight in the oil.

6. 6

   Whisk the tempura flour with the cold water until smooth. Lumps are fine, the batter does not need to be handled gently.

7. 7

   Spread the shrimp and vegetables on a tray and dust them lightly on both sides with the 2 tbsp of tempura flour. Shake off the excess.

8. 8

   Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170 °C (340 °F). A drop of batter should sink, then rise to the top quickly.

9. 9

   Dip the sweet potato in the batter and fry for 4-5 min, turning once, until golden and tender when pierced. Drain on a rack.

10. 10

    Fry the eggplant, then the pepper, the same way, 2-3 min each, until the batter is crisp and pale gold.

11. 11

    Fry the shrimp last, 30-40 sec, until the batter is crisp and the shrimp are cooked through with no gray, raw center. Drain on the rack.

12. 12

    Divide the rice between 2 deep bowls and spoon a little of the sauce over it.

13. 13

    Arrange the tempura on top, with the shrimp in front. Drizzle with a small amount of the remaining sauce, enough to flavor the batter without soaking it, and dust with sansho pepper if using. Eat at once.

Imported from cookingwithdog.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.