Tempura Donburi 天丼

Method21 steps · about 40 min

1. 1

   Step 1: wash the prawns (8) and remove the heads of prawns

   Uses 8 prawns

2. 2

   Step 2: remove the legs and shells from the tail end

   Uses Prawns with heads removed

3. 3

   Step 3: devein and score 2-3 place on belly side about 1cm apart.

   Uses Peeled prawns

4. 4

   Step 4: break the belly muscle so that when they are cooked, the prawn does not curl up

   Uses Deveined belly-scored prawns

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Wash the half small purple sweet potato and slice it about five millimetres thick. Have the four lotus-root slices similarly thin and ready, and dry the surfaces well.

   Uses 1/2 small purple sweet potato · 4 slices of renkon (lotus roots)

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Wash the shiitake mushrooms (4) and cut off the stems and slice them thinly if necessary.

   Uses 4 shiitake mushrooms

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Wash the shiso leaves (4) and shishito peppers (4) and dry them thoroughly.

   Uses 4 shiso leaves · 4 shishito peppers

8. 8

   Step 8: Wash and dry the green beans (4), trimming and halving any that are too long.

   Uses 4 green beans

9. 9

   Step 9: If using the optional chikuwa fish cake, cut it in half and have it ready with the other tempura ingredients.

   Uses Chikuwa fish cake, optional; source does not specify quantity

10. 10

    Step 10: Place only the seventy-five millilitres icy batter water and tablespoon Japanese mayonnaise (1 tbsp) in a mixing bowl. Keep the two tablespoons sauce water separate.

    Uses 75 ml cold icy water · 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise

11. 11

    Step 11: Add flour (50 g) and mix them all together but try not to stir too much. Creating gluten by overmixing causes oily, sticky, and soggy tempura.

    Uses Icy water-mayonnaise mixture · 50 g plain flour

12. 12

    Step 12: Heat enough suitable deep-frying oil in a deep tempura pan or fryer to 180°C (356°F), using a frying thermometer. Keep a deep saucepan no more than one-third full, or follow the fryer’s specified fill line.

    Uses Oil as needed for deep-frying tempura

13. 13

    Step 13: Coat the prepared prawns and vegetables individually in the cold batter, adding optional chikuwa if selected, and fry in small batches without crowding the pan.

    Uses Straightened prepared prawns · Thin sweet-potato and lotus-root slices · Prepared stemmed shiitake · Dried shiso and shishito · Dried trimmed green beans · Optional halved chikuwa · Cold tempura batter · Oil heated to 180°C

14. 14

    Step 14: Cook until the batter is crisp and the vegetable centres are tender. Prawn flesh should be pearly-opaque and firm throughout; vibration felt through chopsticks alone does not establish doneness. Adjust frying time to each ingredient and thickness.

    Fry each tempura batch until fully cookedUses Battered ingredients frying in small batches

    
15. 15

    Step 15: Take out the cooked ingredients onto a wired mesh rack with kitchen paper to remove and absorb excess oil.

    Uses Fully cooked prawn and vegetable tempura

    
16. 16

    Step 16: place all sauce ingredients into a small sauce pan.

    Uses 3 tbsp soy sauce · 2 tbsp mirin · 2 tbsp sugar · 1 tbsp shirodashi · 2 tbsp water

17. 17

    Step 17: bring them to boil and them simmer for a few minutes

    Uses Mixed sweet soy-mirin-shirodashi sauce

18. 18

    Step 18: When the sauce is reduced and thickened, turn the heat off and set aside.

    Uses Simmered reduced thickened donburi sauce

19. 19

    Step 19: Divide the six cups ready cooked rice between four large bowls, one-and-a-half cups per bowl.

    Uses 6 cups prepared cooked rice (source alternative to 3 cups uncooked rice)

20. 20

    Step 20: Divide the cooked tempura among the four bowls, allowing two prawns per bowl and sharing the vegetables and optional chikuwa.

    Uses Four bowls of cooked rice · Drained cooked tempura

21. 21

    Step 21: Pour the sauce over the tempura and rice

    Uses Four rice bowls topped with cooked tempura · Reduced sweet donburi sauce