Tempura Recipe

The best part of making this tempura is the contrast across the same platter: juicy shrimp, tender sweet potato with gently caramelized edges, and eggplant that turns almost custardy inside its crisp shell. The sweet potato and eggplant also give the shrimp some welcome variety, so every bite feels different. With four servings and 1 pound of shrimp, this makes a generous dinner without becoming overly heavy, especially when served with plenty of warm tentsuyu sauce for dipping. The batter is deliberately cold and lightly mixed from flour, ice water, and egg. It should look a little uneven, with small lumps remaining; a smooth batter tends to develop too much gluten and fries up thick rather than delicate. The cold mixture also helps create that characteristic craggy coating when it hits the hot oil. I like to cut the sweet potatoes into thin, even slices so they cook through in the same time as the shrimp. For the eggplant, slightly thicker slices work well, and shallow cuts in the skin side help the heat reach the center without making the pieces floppy. The main challenge is managing the different cooking times. Shrimp cook quickly, while sweet potato needs a little longer, so start with the sweet potato and add the eggplant before frying the shrimp. Pat the shrimp and vegetables very dry first; moisture makes the batter slide off and causes more splattering. Keep the batter over ice or in the coldest part of the kitchen, and fry in small batches rather than crowding the pan. Even with only 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil listed for the recipe, use enough hot oil in your cooking vessel to let the pieces float freely and maintain a steady frying temperature; the oil should sizzle immediately when a drop of batter is added, but not smoke. Serve this tempura as a weeknight Japanese-style dinner while everything is still crisp, with the 2 cups of tentsuyu sauce warmed or at room temperature for dipping. Steamed white rice is the natural partner, and a simple cabbage salad, cucumber sunomono, or lightly dressed greens will balance the fried pieces. If you are preparing it for guests, fry the sweet potatoes and eggplant first, keep them briefly on a rack rather than paper towels, and finish with the shrimp so the most delicate pieces arrive at the table hot and crisp.