Chef John’s Shrimp Tempura

Ingredients

• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• canola oil for frying
• 0.25 cup self-rising flour
• 0.25 cup potato starch
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 0.5 cup cold sparkling water
• 0.5 cup prepared dashi stock
• 0.25 cup mirin
• 0.25 cup soy sauce
• 1 pinch white sugar, or to taste
• grated daikon radish

Steps

1. Gather all ingredients.
2. Dry peeled and deveined shrimp on paper towels. Flip each shrimp over and make shallow cuts through to make sure they won’t curl up when frying. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Meanwhile, combine self-rising flour, potato starch, salt, and cayenne in a bowl with a whisk. Add cold water and whisk until flour disappears and a crepe-like batter is achieved. Coat reserved shrimp in batter.
5. Fry shrimp in small batches, no more than 6 at a time, making sure they don’t stick together, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
6. Stir together dashi broth, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar for sauce. Grate daikon radish over. Taste and adjust as needed.
7. Serve shrimp hot with dipping sauce.