Uniquely Japanese: tempura of white asparagus, shrimp, and Hokkai shiso
Chances are you have already read many glowing articles about restaurant Hokkai Kitchen in IJmuiden. Their recipe and storybook compiles Japanese dishes that you can easily make at home with ingredients you can buy here. This is also the case with this tempura of white asparagus, shrimp, and shiso.
In this beautiful cookbook, Hokkai Kitchen takes you on a culinary journey of discovery through Japanese food culture. The intention of the dishes, consisting primarily of fish dishes, is to showcase Japanese home cooking and make it accessible to everyone.
Between the recipes, the people behind the restaurant tell you the most beautiful stories about Japanese food culture, including stunning visuals.
About this recipe
Hokkai Kitchen: “To make truly good tempura, you need a lot of experience. Good tempura is all about perfection; the crispy breading, the core temperature, the doneness of your product, and the amount of salt. If all of that is exactly right, then tempura might just be the tastiest thing there is.”
Ensure that the ingredients you are frying are as dry as possible before coating them in the batter. Keep the batter and flour as cold as possible. This ensures that the gluten in the flour develops as little as possible and that the batter becomes light and crispy. You can make tempura from eggplant, pumpkin, shiitake, bell pepper, and/or sweet potato in the same way.
Tempura of white asparagus, shrimp, and shiso from Hokkai
- Make 4 to 5 small incisions in the tiger prawns with a knife and stretch them out slightly. Pat the prawns and white asparagus dry thoroughly with paper towels and place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Beat the egg and mix with the sparkling water. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes as well.
- Sift the flour and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients for the tendashi sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat to 170°C.
- Coat the asparagus, shrimp, and shiso leaves in the cold flour and shake off the excess flour.
- Mix 50 grams of flour into the egg mixture. Mix as little as possible, otherwise the batter will become sticky. It is not a problem if the flour is not completely incorporated into the egg mixture.
- Dip the asparagus in the batter and let drain well. Place the asparagus in the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes. Turn regularly. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the shrimp and the shiso leaves. Fry the shiso leaves for only 1 minute.
- Heat the tendashi sauce. Serve the tempura with the sauce and the lemon wedges.