Preparation of the shrimps

Cup of Yum
1. Remove the shrimp head. Remove the shell by keeping the last segment of the shell and the tip of the tail.
2. Devein them.
3. Make two small slits under the back of each shrimp. Hold each shrimp with both hands and fold gently backwards to make them as straight as possible.
4. Remove all the dirty water in the tail by holding the end of the knife and moving it from left to right, a very important step because the water held in the tail can splash during frying.
5. Sprinkle the potato starch on the shrimp to reduce the odor and remove any residual dirt.
6. Rinse them thoroughly with clear water.
7. Drain, put in a large bowl and then coat with sake, rubbing with your hands.
8. Let stand for 10 minutes then discard all the liquid. No need to rinse again.
9. Drain well and set aside.

Sauce

1. Mix the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Then lower the heat and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and reserve.

Preparation of the vegetables

1. Cut the Japanese sweet potatoes into thin strips and soak in room temperature water for 30 minutes to remove excess starch.
2. Drain and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
3. Cut the kabocha squash and the lotus root into thin slices.
4. Dip the lotus root in 1 quart of water and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
5. Slice the king oyster mushrooms thinly.
6. Cut the ends of the eggplant, then cut in half lengthwise. Then cut the aubergines into very thin slices lengthwise.

Tempura batter

1. Sift the flour over a large bowl.
2. In large bowl, combine the eggs and iced water.
3. Whisk the mixture and pour it over the flour gradually, mixing very quickly.
4. The batter must not be mixed for too long and must be prepared immediately before frying.
5. Divide it in half, one for shrimp and the other for the vegetables.

Shrimp tempura

1. In a fryer or deep skillet, heat a large volume of oil bath to 350 F.
2. While the oil is heating, add the potato starch into a large freezer bag, then add the shrimp.
3. Close the bag and shake well to coat the shrimp with starch.
4. Remove the shrimp from the bag and dust well to remove the excess starch.
5. Dip the shrimp in the batter and coat them well.
6. Fry the shrimp for about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.
7. Do not overload the fryer; leave at least half of the surface of the oil empty.
8. Drain the shrimp on paper towel.
9. Serve the shrimp tempura with hot sauce and grated daikon.

Vegetable tempura

1. Begin by frying the root vegetables because the temperature of the oil should be a little lower than that of other vegetables.
2. Thoroughly dry all the vegetables before dipping them into the tempura batter.
3. For the root vegetables: In a fryer or deep skillet, heat a large volume of oil at 320 F for 3 to 4 minutes. And fry them for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. For the other vegetables and the mushrooms, heat the oil to 340 F and fry them for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.
5. For the shiso leaves, sprinkle the flour on the back of each leaf and dip only the back of the leaves into the tempura batter.
6. Fry for 15 seconds in the oil at 340F / 170C.
7. Serve immediately.