Tempura
Almost every nation has some version of the “mixed fry” in which many foods are dipped in a batter and deep fried. In Japan it is known as tempura; in Italy fritto misto. Both include bits of fish, seafood and vegetables.
18 medium shrimp
2 flounder fillets
1 medium squid (optional)
6 sea scallops
1 carrot
12 long string beans
1 sweet potato
4 cups vegetable oil or, preferably, 3 cups vegetable oil and 1 cup sesame seed oil
Tempura batter (see following recipe)
Tempura sauce (see following recipe)
Insert small blade of a pair of scissors under shell of each r3aw shrimp. Starting at the head portion, cut down to, but not through, the last tail segment.
Peel shrimp, leaving tail segment intact. Cut off lower half of tails. Split peeled shrimp down backs and rinse under cold running water to remove sand and intestinal tract.
Using sharp knife, make shallow cuts across the underside of each shrimp in 3 equidistant places. This permits “straightening” the shrimp lengthwise.
Cut flounder into small sections measuring about 2x3 inches. Remove tentacles from squid and peel off outer and inner skins. Cut into square bite-size pieces. Cut scallops into quarters.
Cut carrot into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Cut string beans into 3-inch lengths. Peel sweet potato and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices and cut each slice into quarters.
Dry all seafood and vegetables well between clean cloths or paper towels.
Using a deep fryer or electric skillet, heat oil to 375 F. This temperature must be maintained for entire frying process. Hold shrimp by the tail, dip into batter and gently drop, one at a time, into hot fat. Deep fry a few shrimp at a time until batter is golden brown, or 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dip flounder in batter and cook same length of time. Continue with remaining seafood and vegetables.
Remove deep-fried foods, as they are cooked, to paper napkins or other toweling to drain briefly. To eat tempura, dip fried food in tempura sauce.
About 6 servings.
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