Ingredients
- 5 large prawns, shelled, deveined; score the belly and leave the tail attached
- 5 plump scallops, washed and patted dry
- 2 onions, sliced into rounds and pierced with toothpicks to hold together
- ½ cup button mushrooms, trimmed and wiped
- 1 eggplant, cut into sections then fanned, keeping intact
- 5 lengths of thick asparagus, trimmed of tough ends
- 1 red capsicum, cut into thick strips
- Title:Batter
- 2 egg yolks
- 250ml (1 cup) iced water or sparkling soda water
- 125g unbleached white flour
- extra flour for dusting
- sunflower or safflower oil for deep-frying
- Title:Dipping sauce
- 250ml water
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- Title:Condiment
- 6 tbsp daikon, grated (or radish)
- 2 tbsp ginger, grated
Method
Fill a heavy saucepan or a small wok with 8cm of oil. Heat to 170-180C.
While the oil is heating, prepare the batter.
Place the yolks into a bowl, pour in the iced water and mix lightly, but don't beat.
Pour in all the flour and mix lightly using a chopping action with the chopsticks. Do not over-mix - the batter should still be lumpy.
Pat dry all the tempura ingredients. Dip each ingredient into plain flour, dust off the excess, then plunge into batter and slowly place into the hot oil. Deep-fry for around 3 minutes or until a golden shade of brown.
Drain the cooked pieces on a rack or on absorbent paper and serve immediately with the dipping sauce and condiment.
To make the dipping sauce, combine the ingredients and simmer in a small pan for
3 minutes. Serve warm.
The condiment should be eaten sparingly.
