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King prawns and sliced vegetables in a light, lacy batter, fried until just crisp and served with a simple dashi dipping sauce.
Prawn and vegetable tempura
- 12 raw king prawns, peeled with tails on
- 1 sweet potato, sliced 5 mm thick
- 1 courgette, sliced diagonally
- 6 shiitake mushrooms
- 150 g tempura flour
- 200 ml ice-cold sparkling water
- oil, for deep-frying
- 150 ml dashi, 3 tbsp soy sauce and 3 tbsp mirin, for the dipping sauce
- Warm the dashi, soy sauce and mirin together for the dipping sauce, then set aside.
- Make a few shallow cuts along the underside of each prawn so it stays straight when fried, and pat everything very dry.
- Heat the oil to 170C for vegetables.
- Stir the tempura flour and ice-cold water together briefly with chopsticks, leaving small lumps.
- Dip the vegetables in the batter and fry in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp, then drain on a rack.
- Raise the oil to 180C, batter and fry the prawns for about 90 seconds, and serve at once with the dipping sauce.
About tempura
Tempura is Japanese battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables. The batter is thin and lacy rather than thick and puffy, so the prawn or vegetable inside stays the star. Good tempura is light, crisp and not greasy.
The secret is a cold, barely mixed batter and oil at the right heat. Lumps in the batter are fine, as over mixing builds gluten and makes the coating heavy.
Ingredient notes and UK swaps
- Prawns: raw king prawns, peeled with the tail left on. Make a few shallow cuts on the belly so they stay straight when fried.
- Vegetables: sweet potato, aubergine, courgette, green beans, peppers and mushrooms all work. Cut them thin so they cook in the same time as the batter.
- Flour: tempura flour gives the lightest result. Plain flour with a little cornflour and ice cold sparkling water is a good swap.
- Oil: a neutral oil such as vegetable or rapeseed, heated to about 170 to 180C.
Serving
Serve tempura the moment it comes out of the oil, with tentsuyu dipping sauce (dashi, soy and mirin) and grated daikon, or with a little salt. It can also sit on a bowl of rice (tendon) or on hot or cold soba noodles. Tempura does not keep well, so fry only what you will eat.
Tips for the best prawn and vegetable tempura
- Keep the batter ice-cold and mix it just before frying.
- Fry a few pieces at a time so the oil temperature does not drop.
Keeping the batter cold
Mix the tempura batter with ice-cold water just before frying, and keep the bowl over ice if frying multiple batches, a batter that warms up loses the light, lacy texture that makes tempura distinctive.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make tempura without tempura flour?
Yes, use plain flour with a tablespoon of cornflour and very cold water.
How do I keep tempura crisp?
Drain on a wire rack rather than kitchen paper, and serve straight away.
What oil temperature is best for tempura?
Around 170C for vegetables and 180C for prawns. A drop of batter should sink a little, then rise and sizzle straight away.
Shop this
- Tempura flour. A ready mix for light, crisp tempura.
