Name: Prawn Tempura
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 16 raw prawns, peeled, tail on (about 500 g; black tiger or king prawns); 3 tbsp potato starch or cornflour (for dusting); 1 l neutral oil for deep-frying (about 3 cm deep in the pan); 150 g plain flour (sifted); 1 egg, cold; 250 ml ice-cold water; 360 ml dashi (or 360 ml water with 2 tsp dashi powder); 6 tbsp soy sauce; 4 tbsp mirin; 4 tsp sugar; 5 cm daikon radish (finely grated, lightly squeezed)

Preparation

Bring the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to the boil and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Peel the prawns except for the tail and the last shell segment. Make small crosswise cuts on the top and underside so they do not curl; do not cut too deep. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, as moisture makes the batter soft.
Heat the oil in a pan to 170 to 180 °C and keep the temperature steady while frying.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Beat the egg and ice-cold water vigorously, skim off the foam, then stir briefly into the flour. The batter may be lumpy. Mix the batter only just before frying and keep it cold until then.
Dust the prawns lightly in the starch, hold them by the tail, pull them through the batter, let them drip briefly and slide them carefully into the oil. Fry only a few prawns at a time.
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, no longer, or they turn tough. Drain on a rack and skim leftover batter from the oil between batches.
Grate the daikon and squeeze lightly. Pour the warm tentsuyu into small bowls, stir a spoonful of daikon into each and serve the prawns immediately alongside.

Drink with it

Junmai sake · excellent match
Junmai sake, chilled to room temperature
The body of the junmai carries the fried food, and its rice note accompanies the sweetish prawn and the salty tentsuyu.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Sparkling wine · excellent match
Champagne or Crémant, brut
Acidity and bubbles cut the frying fat, and the fine yeasty note suits the crisp batter and the sweetness of the prawn.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?
Fortified wine · good match
Fino or Manzanilla, ice cold
Yeast, salt and acidity cut through the oil and leave the sweetness of the prawn standing.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage
Pale lager · good match
Japanese lager or Pils, ice cold
Carbonation and slight bitterness cut the fat of the batter.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?

Preparation

Bring the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to the boil and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Peel the prawns except for the tail and the last shell segment. Make small crosswise cuts on the top and underside so they do not curl; do not cut too deep. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, as moisture makes the batter soft.
Heat the oil in a pan to 170 to 180 °C and keep the temperature steady while frying.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Beat the egg and ice-cold water vigorously, skim off the foam, then stir briefly into the flour. The batter may be lumpy. Mix the batter only just before frying and keep it cold until then.
Dust the prawns lightly in the starch, hold them by the tail, pull them through the batter, let them drip briefly and slide them carefully into the oil. Fry only a few prawns at a time.
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, no longer, or they turn tough. Drain on a rack and skim leftover batter from the oil between batches.
Grate the daikon and squeeze lightly. Pour the warm tentsuyu into small bowls, stir a spoonful of daikon into each and serve the prawns immediately alongside.

Drink with it

Junmai sake · excellent match
Junmai sake, chilled to room temperature
The body of the junmai carries the fried food, and its rice note accompanies the sweetish prawn and the salty tentsuyu.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Sparkling wine · excellent match
Champagne or Crémant, brut
Acidity and bubbles cut the frying fat, and the fine yeasty note suits the crisp batter and the sweetness of the prawn.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?
Fortified wine · good match
Fino or Manzanilla, ice cold
Yeast, salt and acidity cut through the oil and leave the sweetness of the prawn standing.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage
Pale lager · good match
Japanese lager or Pils, ice cold
Carbonation and slight bitterness cut the fat of the batter.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?

Prawn Tempura

Preparation

Drink with it

Junmai sake, chilled to room temperature

Champagne or Crémant, brut

Fino or Manzanilla, ice cold

Japanese lager or Pils, ice cold

This pairs well too.

Maine Lobster Roll

North Sea Shrimp Cocktail (Krabbencocktail)

Pan-Seared Scallops

Seafood Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil

Prawn Tempura

Preparation

Drink with it

Junmai sake, chilled to room temperature

Champagne or Crémant, brut

Fino or Manzanilla, ice cold

Japanese lager or Pils, ice cold

This pairs well too.

Maine Lobster Roll

North Sea Shrimp Cocktail (Krabbencocktail)

Pan-Seared Scallops

Seafood Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil