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Sweet Potato Tempura (3 Japanese Ways to Make)

Balanced, flavorful, and enjoyable—this recipe has it all.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Side Dish , Appetizer
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • 75 ml cold water
  • 50 ml soda water (or club soda)
  • 15 g cornstarch
  • 75 g cake flour or all purpose + extra for dusting
  • ½ tbsp Japanese style mayonnaise or half a small whisked egg
  • 2 Ice cubes optional
  • cooking oil for frying
  • 600 g sweet potato

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Measure out 75 ml cold water into a jug and place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Place the sparkling water in the fridge too. (Preferably an unopened bottle, measure after chilling.)
  2. Sift 15 g cornstarch and 75 g cake flour into a bowl. Mix them together and place the bowl in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
  3. While your tempura batter ingredients are chilling, wash the surface of 600 g sweet potato, cut off the ends, and slice according to your preferred method from the post above. (Thin rounds, thick rounds or sticks/wedges.) Make sure every piece has some skin left on. (If using thick rounds, cut a shallow cross pattern on the front and back of each piece.)
  4. Soak the cut pieces in cold water for 10 minutes.
  5. Once your batter ingredients have been chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes, start preheating your cooking oil to 160 °C (320 °F).
  6. In a bowl (or jug), add a few tbsp of the chilled water and ½ tbsp Japanese style mayonnaise. Whisk until well combined to loosen up the mayo, then pour the rest of the chilled water and 50 ml soda water (or club soda) (chilled) into the bowl.
  7. Add the flour/starch mixture to the water one-third at a time, gently drawing crosses through the mixture with the chopsticks to incorporate it. Do not whisk or over-mix, it's fine for the batter to have lumps.
  8. Optional step: Add 2 ice cubes to the batter and mix to make it extra cold.
  9. Test your oil by adding a drop of batter; if it sizzles and floats, you're ready to fry.Dry the sweet potato pieces with kitchen paper and coat them with a thin layer of flour. Dip them in the batter and then immediately place them into the oil. Make sure not to overfill the pot. (Keep the batter in the fridge or freezer between batches.) For thin rounds or sticks, fry for 4-5 minutes, turning over halfway through. For thick slices, fry for 6-7 minutes or until you can easily pierce the center with a skewer.
  10. Once cooked, place on a wire rack to allow the excess oil to drip off.
  11. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • You can enjoy sweet potato tempura with tentsuyu dipping sauce or salt.
  • Sweet potato tempura can be eaten as a side or served on top of udon noodles, soba noodles or on top of rice (tendon/tempura donburi).
  • If you make the stick type, sweet potato tempura sushi rolls are also gaining popularity online and are a great sushi option for vegetarians!