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Vegetable Tempura Udon
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Vegetable Tempura Udon

Enjoy something delicious and satisfying with this easy-to-make recipe.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Main Course, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

Tempura
  • 150 ml water chilled
  • 100 ml soda water chilled, or club soda
  • 30 g cornstarch
  • 150 g cake flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1 egg chilled
  • 4 shiitake mushroom stems removed, fresh
  • 100 g eggplant cut into wedges and soaked in cold water
  • 8 perilla leaves ooba/shiso, shiso
  • 4 asparagus cut into halves or thirds, stalks
  • neutral cooking oil for deep frying (vegetable, canola, peanut or white sesame, generic cooking oil
Udon soup and toppings
  • 1 liter dashi stock Check out my homemade dashi recipe / plant based dashi
  • 75 ml soy sauce
  • 30 ml mirin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 portions udon noodles
  • 8-12 lices kamaboko Japanese fish cakes) omit for vegetarians, fish cake
  • green onion finely chopped to garnish
  • Japanese chili powder shichimi togarashi) optional garnish, shichimi togarashi

Instructions

Tempura
    Cup of Yum
  1. Measure out 150 ml water and place in the fridge for 20-30 mins. Place the sparkling water in the fridge too. (Preferably an unopened bottle.)
  2. Sift 30 g cornstarch and 150 g cake flour into a small bowl. Mix them together and place the bowl in the fridge/freezer for 20-30 minutes to chill.
  3. After 30 minutes have passed, start preheating your cooking oil to 180 °C (356 °F).
  4. While you wait for the oil to heat up, wash, peel, cut and dry all your vegetables. (Use kitchen paper to dry thoroughly.) Coat each piece with a thin layer of flour and set aside ready to batter.
  5. Pour the chilled water and 100 ml soda water (or club soda) into a bowl. Add 1 egg straight from the fridge and whisk until well incorporated. (If any foam has formed from whisking, scoop it out with a spoon.)
  6. Sift the flour/starch mixture into the egg mixture one-third at a time. Using chopsticks or a spatula, draw crosses in the mixture to mix in the flour to combine, being careful not to overmix.Once there are no more dry bits of flour, the batter is ready. Store in the fridge until the oil is ready. Test your oil by adding a drop of batter; if it sizzles and floats, it’s ready to go. (If it sinks, heat for longer.)
  7. Dip your floured ingredients into the batter one by one and place them straight into the oil. I recommend cooking each type of ingredient together in batches to ensure even cooking.
  8. Remove each ingredient when it becomes crispy but before it turns golden. Tempura should be pale in color. Place on a wire rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
Broth
  1. Cook the udon noodles according to the instructions on the packaging. Once cooked, drain the water by pouring the noodles through a strainer, then rinse them with fresh boiling water.
  2. In a large pot, add 1 liter dashi stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 75 ml soy sauce and 30 ml mirin. Boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and add ½ tsp salt.
Assembly
  1. Place a portion of noodles in each bowl and evenly divide the broth. Place 2-3 slices of kamaboko on top of each portion. Place the tempura on top of each bowl or serve it on the side, depending on your preference.
  2. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) (optional).
  3. Enjoy! 

Notes

  • I listed the vegetables I used personally, feel free to use any vegetables you like!