Tempura - How to make it at home

Dust shrimp or vegetables lightly with flour

Dip into batter and let excess drip off

Heat oil to 170°C / 340°F. (Batter crumbs should sink briefly, then float within 3 seconds.)

Fry gently, moving ingredients so they don’t stick

Optional crunch trick: drizzle diluted batter into oil and push floating crumbs toward ingredients

Remove when light golden and bubbling subsides

Drain on a wire rack — never paper towels

Remove head, shell, and vein

Cut off the tip of the tail, as it can explode during frying

Make small cuts along the belly and back

Gently press to straighten

Sweet potato

Pumpkin

Eggplant

Lotus root

Shiitake mushrooms

Asparagus

Shiso leaves

Remove stem

Cut into 4-inch sections

Slice 5–6 times lengthwise at an angle, keeping one end intact

Press gently to fan out

5 parts dashi

1 part mirin

1 part Japanese soy sauce